


Hungry Eyes

by kaylaber1



Category: Lost Boys (Movies)
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Homophobes as a food source, It'll make sense later I swear, M/M, alternate universe- David lives, soulmate ish
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-05
Updated: 2018-08-31
Packaged: 2019-03-26 21:02:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 24,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13865946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaylaber1/pseuds/kaylaber1
Summary: Things wrapped up so nicely. They were a happy family for the first time in years. So why does Michael feel like it's not quite over yet?





	1. Chapter 1

After what they had been through, after all they had seen, it was easy to believe that this was their happy ending. They'd fixed up the house together, and aside from scrubbing blood and gore that was all the wrong color to be human from every inch of the house, it was actually quite nice. Star moved in with the Widow Johnson after they'd gotten Laddie back to his parents, and she was currently working full time at a diner in town. Sam had started his freshman year at Santa Carla High and had taken to it like a fish to water, bringing home straight A's on his first report card. Lucy continued to work at Max's video. The owner's death had actually landed her a promotion to night management and the extra money had afforded them the brand new television set in the living room. And Michael? Well, with his prospects for employment slim, he wasn't really left with any other option than to start school with his brother. He made okay grades, but didn't really get into the social scene as much as Sam. As far as he was concerned, Michael was there to get his diploma and get out with as little excitement as possible. After all, he'd had enough excitement for a lifetime.

As charmed as his life seemed, Michael still felt like something was...off. Like things had ended almost too perfectly. And no matter how many times Star had squeezed his hand and assured him that it was over, no matter how many times he visited the old hotel and saw it's vacancy for himself, he couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't yet out of the woods. His paranoia was a source of concern for his mother, who watched her son who used to make friends so easily begin to isolate himself, dark circles under his eyes growing darker from constant and unnecessary worry. She had insisted on spending more time with him, and it wasn't like he could say no after almost losing her to Max. So this was how he lived. Dates with Star that gradually lost their magic as she moved forward and he stayed put, card games with his mother and on occasion his grandfather, and schoolwork, all the while constantly looking over his shoulder for an unseen threat. Until October.

Michael's bike had roared into the driveway shortly after sundown. Star was working that night and he'd agreed to take her to the diner to spare her the change for the bus. Now it was just him and AP history for the rest of the night. Yippee. He'd finally begun to let some of that paranoia slip, not even bothering to check over his shoulder for glowing eyes in the night before he marched in the front door. He waved to his family before heading upstairs to hit the books. Truthfully, he wasn't even worried about the test, but if he did nothing for it, his mother would have his head. Closing the door to his room, the hair on the back of his neck began to stand up and he was overcome with the feeling that he was not alone.

"Hiya, Michael." A familiar voice greeted in an even tone. It was a voice that Michael had hoped he'd never hear again. Slowly, he turned around, hoping that he was just hearing things.

He wasn't. Perched on his bed in all his leather clad glory was the last person on earth Michael Emmerson had wanted to see.

"David." He said, hoping that his fear didn't slip through in his voice. "Shouldn't you be decomposing or whatever it is your kind do?"

"That's a bit harsh, Michael. Be careful-" before Michael could even blink, David was standing in front of him, staring into him with a threatening look. "You might hurt my feelings."

"What are you doing here?" Michael retorted.

"I had nowhere else to go." the vampire shrugged, turning from him and wandering around the room like a vulture, judging every aspect of it. "The hotel's a no-go. Van Helsings junior saw to that. The whole town's gotta know about it by now. Max's place is already on the market. Open houses and such don't agree with my hours. Which left this dump." He picked a record up off of Michael's bookshelf, regarding it with a grin. "The Doors. Good choice."

"No-" Michael jerked the record from his gloved hands, placing it back in its place on the shelf. "What are you doing _here._ Alive. I impaled you on a fucking deer. I watched you die-"

"Oh that." David interrupted, sounding more annoyed than angry. "It's really very simple, Michael: you missed. A couple of centimeters and you would have had me. Hurt like a bitch, though, I will admit. Took me three whole months to heal. You should have asked those comic book kids to do it for you. At least _they_ can properly stake a vampire." the end of his sentence carried a barely concealed rage that made Michael's heartbeat quicken. While Michael's adrenaline addled brain tried to catch up with the situation, David returned to perusing the room. He flicked the blinds open and frowned. "We're going to have to black these out."

"You're not blacking anything out!" Michael shouted. "You cannot stay here! Get the fuck out of my house before I stake you again."

David laughed heartily, gripping MIchael's shoulder with just enough force to remind him of his supernatural strength. "Listen Michael. I'm going to level with you here- you _are_ the man of the house, after all. Either we do this the easy way, and you give me a place to sleep and guaranteed protection during daylight hours, or we do this the hard way and I slaughter your entire family and have myself a much needed snack. Your choice." He said with a flippant shrug.

Michael glared at him with as much hatred as he could muster. "Fine, jackass. You win." He spat.

David's smile only grew wider. "Oh Michael. I always win." He turned from him, seemingly uninterested in anything else Michael had to say. "Now the windows are going to be a problem. Do you have any boards? Black paint? Anything like that?"

"Not going to be a problem." Michael threw open his closet door, gesturing inside. He had to fight a grin at the look that passed over the vampire's face.

"You're putting me in a closet?" David said flatly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yeah. Sammy told me you guys like to sleep upside down, and there's this nifty bar, plus, the door closes, so no sunlight."

"Under the door." David sighed, pointing to the closet door.

"What?"

"The crack under the door. Light gets in, hits me in the face, I go up in flames and likely take the house down with me."

"Wad up some gym shorts or something. I don't care. But you are _not_ blacking out my windows!" Michael hissed. He went to continue on his tirade, but was interrupted by his door swinging open.

"Mike who the hell are you talking t- Oh my god!" Sam Emerson froze in Michael's doorway, the color draining from his face as his gaze settled on the bleached blonde at his brother's side. He ran down the stairs in a frenzy, stumbling over his own feet and nearly tumbling down the stairs in his attemept to get away.

"Shit." Michael cursed, rolling his eyes and running after his younger brother. He stopped at his doorway and turned back to his unwelcome guest, pointing at him. "You. Stay put and don't touch anything!"

"Sure Michael." David responded with a grin. "Whatever you say."

When Michael reached the foot of the stairs he found Sam in hysterics, clutching the telephone receiver like his life depended on it.

"Mom you've gotta come home! The vampires are back and they've got Michael again and OH MY GOD MOM YOU HAVE TO COME HOME RIGHT NOW! HE'S GONNA GET ME! HE-"

"What the hell are you doing?!" Michael hissed, jerking the receiver out of Sam's hand and hanging it up.

"GET AWAY FROM ME MIKE!" Sam shrieked, scrambling backwards. "YOU'RE ONE OF THEM AGAIN, AREN'T YOU?! YOU WANTED TO DO IT FOR REAL THIS TIME AND THAT'S WHY HE'S HERE AND IT WAS ALL A SHOW AND NOW YOU'RE GONNA EAT ME!!"

"Sammy, no! Look, I swear to you I'm not a vampire, and I'm not going to eat you. You saw me out earlier today and what did I look like, huh? A perfectly functioning human being." Michael explained in a desperate attempt to calm his younger brother down.

"THEN WHY'S HE HERE, HUH? WHY'S HE ALIVE MIKE? I THOUGHT YOU KILLED HIM! IS HE GONNA EAT ME? IS HE GONNA EAT ALL OF US? OH CHRIST HE CAME BACK TO GET HIS REVENGE DIDN'T HE?!"

"Look, Sam, nobody's getting eaten tonight. Not you, not me, not mom, not grandpa. Nobody. He's just here to crash for the day, okay?"

"What are you _friends_ with him now, Mike?!"

"HELL no! It's just-"

"Oh that was _cold,_ Michael."

Michael whipped around angrily. "I thought I told you to stay put." He said through gritted teeth, stepping in front of Sam protectively.

"After all we've been through together, you don't think I'm your friend?" David said, descending the stairs. He put a hand over his heart in an act of feigned upset. "You wound me."

Michael didn't dignify that with a response. Behind him, Sam clutched onto his shirt, terrified beyond reason. They stood like that for a few tension charged moments, each willing the other to back down. Michael's demeanor was protective, threatening, full of the promise that if David came any closer, there would be hell to pay. Of course, this amused David to no end. He could crush Michael like a toothpick if he wanted -they both knew that- and yet the teen challenged him anyway. It was something about Michael that he had always found charming, if annoying. David broke the silence with a chuckle, shrugging him off and moving past the Emerson brothers into the kitchen. Not wanting to let the vampire out of his sight, Michael followed with Sam trailing cautiously behind him.

"You guys have anything to eat?" David asked, already opening cabinets.

"I-I thought Vampires only drank blood?" Sam said quietly from behind Michael. He figured that if he was going to be eaten, David would have already killed him. However, there was always the possibility that he was just playing with his food. David turned to him with a smirk

"Well where's the fun in that, Sammy?"

"Don't call him that." Michael snapped. He felt very ready to punch him across the jaw like he'd done the night they'd met.

"Sorry, _Samuel._ " David amended uncaringly, turning back to his task. He opened the fridge and began rifling through its contents, making a small noise of victory when he reached the second shelf. He flipped up the door labeled "old fart" and pulled out a bottle of root beer, popping open the cap and taking a long swig.

"Hey! You can't drink that! Grandpa will kill us!" Sam exclaimed, his previous panic seemingly forgotten.

"He will?!" David said in falsified fear before breaking into a smile. He reached into the fridge again and pulled out two more bottles, tossing one to Sam. "Well then you better start living a little! After all, you've only got until the old man gets back!"

Sam thumbed the cap of the root beer nervously, hesitant to break one of the very few rules of the house. After a moment, he figured that the shit-sucker had a point- the rule was already broken, so what the hell? He popped it open and across the room from him, David cheered. In this moment, he seemed pretty harmless, and Sam almost forgot that the blonde leaning against the countertop smiling and cheering him on was a cold blooded killer. Almost.

As Sam took a drink of their forbidden bounty, David held out the other bottle to Michael. "You want one?"

Michael looked upon it with disgust. "I'm not thirsty."

"C'mon, Michael." David said, pushing it towards him insistently. "It's only a root beer."

With a scowl, he snatched the bottle from David's hand, opening it and taking a swallow. He hated how he couldn't seem to refuse those words when they were coming from that mouth. He hated the way David would smile after he gave in; the way he was smiling right now. He hated how easily David seemed to have won over his little brother, how little it had taken to get Sam from cautious to trusting. Michael wondered if he had been as easy to win over. Resigned, he leaned against the kitchen wall, yearning for the normalcy of just half an hour ago.

That's how Lucy Emerson found her sons. Standing in the kitchen, drinking her father's root beer, and fraternizing with that boy- that _thing._ She didn't know how to react, instead standing open mouthed, helpless in the doorway. Her purse hit the floor, drawing the attention of all three boys.

"Mom!" Sam and Michael exclaimed in unison.

"Good evening Ms. Emerson." David greeted casually. This seemed to snap her out of it.

"Y-you-you can't be here! You're dead!" She stuttered, picking her purse up off of the floor.

"Not exactly, ma'am. Michael puts up a great fight, but when it comes down to it he has really terrible aim."

"B-but I _saw_ you! You were- Dad said- I thought-"

"Ma'am I'm sure that this is very confusing for you, and I would be more than happy to explain. Here-" David walked to the kitchen table and pulled out a chair. "why don't you sit down? You must be exhausted."

"No!" Lucy said sharply, before correcting her tone. "No, I'm fine, thank you. Really I don't care how you're here, I would like you to leave."

"Leave? But Ms. Emerson, Michael has already so graciously offered me his room." David gestured to where Michael was leaned. "I've been recently displaced, and Michael was nice enough to offer to take me in." His words were kind, and his smile matched them, but the look in his eyes said that if Michael were to dispute this story, all bets would be off.

"Michael is this true?!" His mother asked, astonished.

"Yeah." He said flatly, shooting David a glare. "Yeah, he's gonna be staying with me until he can find a new place."

"Well, this is the first I'm hearing of it!!" Lucy exclaimed, hands on her hips.

"It kinda came up suddenly mom. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to run it by you."

"Well- what about Sam?! He was terrified when he called me earlier! Going on about being eaten and you being taken by the vampires! I'm not sure this is good for him!"

"Oh that. Well, Sam was a little shaken up when we ran into each other, and I can't say I blame him. But we've worked that out, right Sammy?" David said, placing a hand on Sam's shoulder. His grin widened as he heard Michael's pulse rise at the dropping of Sam's nickname. Under his grip, Sam stiffened uncomfortably.

"Uh yeah. Everything's great mom." He said quickly, clearly afraid of what would happen if he were to disagree.

"Alright." She said with undisguised skepticism. "I suppose if it's alright with them, you can stay. But one wrong move and you're out of here, buster!" 

"Of course." David smiled.

Her immediate fears put aside, Lucy was able to breathe. She looked between the teenagers in her kitchen. "You kids will want to finish those sodas before dad catches you with them. And then it's bedtime for you, Sam." She sighed, leaving the room looking absolutely exhausted.

After Sam and his mother had retired to their rooms, Michael wasted no time in confronting David. He gripped him by the lapel of his jacket, pinning him to the kitchen wall with a surprising amount of ease.

"I don't know how you did that to Mom and Sam, but you don't have me fooled, you son of a bitch." He hissed "You can do whatever the hell you want to me, but stay away from my family"

"Is that an offer?" David teased with a smirk, uninterested in any other part of Michael's sentence.

" _Hell_ no." Michael said with disgust, dropping the vampire.

"Damn. That could've been fun." He chuckled. "Now, Michael, you're not _serious_ about the closet, right?"


	2. Chapter 2

Michael was serious about the closet.

A decision that he was beginning to regret as he sat on the edge of his bed at 7 am faced with the inability to access his wardrobe. With the apparent fire hazard in his closet, he was left with nothing else to do but pull on his shirt from yesterday. It wasn't like he talked to anyone anyway. No friends, no one to judge you for wearing the same clothes all the time. However he made the mental note to set his clothes out before dawn from now on. 

The day was uneventful. He got through school without any hitch, even made a date, and for a second completely forgot that things had changed. But only a second. The more he thought about his new predicament, the less it made sense. If shelter was all David had in mind, it would have been much easier to just to kill them all and have the house to himself. Why go to the trouble to make peace with his family? It's not like they'd given him any reason to keep them alive, what with killing off the rest of the Lost Boys. By all means, last night should have been a revenge fueled blood bath, so why wasn't it? Of course, this line of thinking lead him to an inevitable conclusion that made him almost sick: He'd have to tell Star.

It wasn't as though their relationship had been in a good place, and in addition to fearing for her safety, Michael worried that this new development might widen the gap between them. A gap that he had to admit was his fault. They had started off hot and heavy in the summer. Back then, it seemed like nothing could get between the two of them. For a while, he was certain that she was the one. But as she had settled into her new life with relative ease, Michael had a much more difficult adjustment period. This had left Star in the awkward position of wanting to move forward, but being tethered to someone who was reluctant to leave their turbulent past. Sure, Michael put on a good face for her, but nonetheless as summer faded to fall, he felt her begin to slip away like the leaves from the trees. If it weren't for the immediate danger she could be in, he wouldn't tell her at all.

However, as it was, he figured that the one person David might resent even more than the Emersons was Star. After all, Star had been one of the Lost Boys long before Michael had even met her, and it was clear that she had been close with them. They had trusted her, and from what he could tell, she had betrayed all of them to run off with Michael. From David's manipulative control freak attitude, Michael guessed he wasn't big on traitors, which made it all the more important that he warn her, even if it meant driving them further apart. After all, he'd rather her be alive than his girlfriend.

Thoughts of what might happen to her haunted him the entire ride to the diner. He kept himself sane by repeating over and over that he could take whatever David could dish out. After all, they'd killed four other vampires, right? What was one more? He repressed those little niggling thoughts that interrupted his stream of confidence with their objections of 'You had supernatural strength then, and you still couldn't even kill David' and 'Had it not been for some very good timing, Max would have won easily'. Pulling up at the diner, he flipped the kickstand and dismounted his bike. The little bell on the door dinged, announcing him to the entire restaurant. Glancing at the wall clock, he realized that he was still quite a bit early, so he shuffled into a booth and watched Star bus tables from behind his menu. As stunning as she had been in all of her ethereal lace and long skirts, he thought that this look might be one of his favorites of hers. She looked so natural in her pink waitress uniform, unruly curls swept back in a ponytail, and a tired but contented look on her face. Looking up from her table, she took notice of him in his corner booth and flashed him a winning smile, removing a pad of paper and a pen from her apron pocket and making a beeline for his table.

"Heya handsome. Ready to order?" She greeted teasingly, and he couldn't help but return her smile.

"Just a cup of coffee, and your phone number." He flirted back. Of course, he already _had_ her phone number, but why not use his best lines on her while he still could?

"I'll get you your coffee, doofus. You want cream and sugar, right?"

"Yeah, thanks."

When she came back with his coffee, he held her back by her wrist.

"We need to talk. It's serious."

Her face steeled, as if she already had suspicions about the subject matter. "My shift ends in ten. Drink your coffee and then we'll get out of here."

Ten minutes later, they came out the back door, pausing in the alleyway to continue their earlier conversation. Star let he hair down before speaking, shaking out her ponytail and fluffing those dark brown curls that Michael loved to run his fingers through.

"So what's up? Are we still going to the movies?" She asked, concerned.

"David's back." He didn't want to beat around the bush. After all, every minute they spent talking was a minute closer to sundown.

The look of horror that flashed across his girlfriend's face all but confirmed his fears. She took a moment to compose herself and weigh her options. Michael had always admired her strength and practicality.

"Let's go somewhere else to talk, okay?" She suggested, and how could he say no to that? They hopped on his bike and drove down to the pier. It was secluded enough that they could talk, but populated enough that there would be plenty of witnesses should they get caught out after sunset. Sitting down on a bench and listening to the waves, he put an arm around her in an effort to comfort her. There he explained to her everything that had happened in the last 24 hours. When he had finished, she was quiet for an uncomfortable amount of time.

"You put him in your closet?" Star said finally, bursting into a fit of giggles. 

"Yeah. I did." Michael responded, chuckling alongside her. Their laughter faded and they were once again left in silence, albeit a comfortable one. Star cuddled closer to him.

"What are we gonna do?" He whispered into her hair.

"I don't know Mike." She sighed.

As they held each other on the bench, they watched the blue sky fade to purples, then pinks, then brilliant reds as the sun went down. Eventually, there was nothing left to do but take her home. As reluctant as he was to leave her side, he had to admit that she would likely be much safer at home. As far as he knew, David had no idea where she was living these days. They tore across the town on his bike, Star's arms wrapping tighter around him than he could ever remember. when he walked her to the door, something told him that this goodnight kiss would be their last. Maybe it was the intensity of the delivery, or the way she held him after, or the barely concealed tears, but it felt so final.

All he wanted to do when he got home was lay on his bed and listen to his music until he stopped thinking and everything went numb, but it became clear to him that that was far from being an option upon opening his bedroom door. All of his windows had been painted over, preventing any sort of natural light, and the vampire he knew was responsible was nowhere to be found. He threw his bookbag into the corner with a long groan of frustration. Unwilling to even face the sight of his own room, he stormed down the stairs and into the living room. If he couldn't drown out his worries with music, maybe TV would do the trick. He turned on the set and flicked through the channels aimlessly.

"Michael!" His grandfather's voice came from behind, startling him and almost making him drop the remote. "You got a minute?"

"Sure Grandpa." Michael said, nervousness creeping into his voice.

His grandfather sat down on the living room couch with a grunt. He sat there for a long moment, watching whatever program that Michael had landed on. Mom had warned them when they moved that their grandfather wasn't the best at communication, and it seemed to Michael that that was a serious understatement. Finally, he spoke.

"So. Your new houseguest. What's he got on ya?"

"He threatened to kill all of you if I didn't agree to let him stay."

His Grandpa nodded gravely, appearing to be deep in thought.

"That's a mighty interesting predicament." He said, before getting up from his spot on the couch, joints clicking and popping on his way up. On his way out of the room, he placed a hand on Michael's shoulder.

"Tell that vermin that he owes me a new case of root beer."

"I will, Grandpa."

Michael was slightly comforted by the knowledge that his grandfather was just as wary of David as he was. Finally alone, he turned his attention to the program on TV. It was an old black and white horror film. The kind he would have loved before having lived through the real thing. Now there was no fear or excitement in watching a beautiful young girl fall victim to the dreaded vampire. All he saw now were the inaccuracies. Somewhere behind him, the kitchen door swung open and shut, but he couldn't be bothered to look and see who had come through it. Instead, he buried himself in the quilt that was kept on the back of the couch. As the monster sank his plastic teeth into the squib on the silver screen beauty's neck, a pair of hands grabbed him by the sides, their owner letting out a startling shout. Michael cried out, gripping the hands to keep himself from falling off of the couch. Behind him, David laughed heartily.

"WHAT THE HELL MAN?!" Michael shouted, whipping around to face him.

"You should have seen your face!" David said, still snickering behind his gloves. "You could've easily upstaged that actress."

"What is _WRONG_ with you?!"

"Do you want that list alphabetically or chronologically?"

"What?"

"Don't worry about it." David smirked, jumping over the back of the couch and landing in the seat next to him. "What are we watching?" he said with some measure of disgust, gesturing to the flickering old Hollywood picture.

" _'We'_ aren't watching anything. _I_ am finishing this movie, and _you_ are going to stay out of my way." Michael said through gritted teeth.

"Okay. That's fine." David shrugged. "I'm sure Sammy would hang out with me. He's much better company anyway. Nicer. You could take a few lessons."

Michael surged forward, gripping the smug vampire by the front of his faded black t-shirt and using his body weight to pin him to the arm of the couch. Beneath him, David raised his hands in surrender, an action that contradicted the victorious grin on his face that he hadn't let drop since he'd entered the room. In all reality, Michael knew that he was just giving him exactly what he wanted; to get a rise out of him, to push all of his buttons until he snapped. He knew that he shouldn't give in, but David was just so _good_ at getting under his skin that he couldn't help it.

"I told you to stay the hell away from my brother. I swear to god if you get anywhere near him or my mom I will stake you myself." He growled, inches away from David's face.

"Is that a promise, Michael?" David challenged, looking him dead in the eyes. The cocky smile of just moments ago had fallen, his face now just as stern as his words.

"You bet your goddamn ass it is." Michael affirmed, his fists tightening in David's shirt as he pressed him into the arm of the couch with more force. He knew that this probably wasn't even hurting him, but it wasn't gonna stop him from trying.

"I'd like to see you try that, just so that I can see you fail." David whispered. He wrapped his hands around Michael's wrists, pushing the teen off of him and sending him back into the couch as though he were nothing more than a ragdoll. "Again." he added with a chuckle.

He stood from the couch, turning to leave. Michael was on his feet in seconds, launching himself at David who caught him by the throat without hardly moving. His grip was just strong enough to immobilize him without choking him, but Michael clawed at his hand anyway, leaving scratches in the soft leather of his glove. As Michael struggled to break free of his grip, David turned his head to face him, staring him down with a threatening glare.

"You know Michael, this was fun for a while; watching you try to challenge me. It was cute. Like a kitten stalking your feet. So weak, yet so determined to take you down. But it's getting old." He lifted Michael just enough that he had to stand on his toes, bringing him close to his face. "Playtime's over, _kitten_." He spat, before releasing his hold, letting Michael drop to the hardwood floor, sputtering and clutching his neck.

David returned to climbing the stairs, but stopped halfway, turning on his heel.

"While we're on the subject, I am NOT sleeping in your fucking closet. Your bed is mine now. Deal with it."

Michael heard the door to his room slam and he cursed, banging his fist on the floor. Never in his life had he been so angry and so powerless. As soon as he had a chance, he was going to stake him. And he would do it properly this time. No loose ends.


	3. Chapter 3

Unwilling to cede dominance to someone who had forced his way into his life, Michael went to sleep in his own damn bed shortly after midnight like he would any other night. It really should have come as no surprise to him that David wouldn't care. But nonetheless, when his alarm woke him at 7 and he found two very strong arms wrapped around his waist and a shock of white blonde hair on his pillow, he freaked. He shoved at the vampire's chest in an effort to put an acceptable amount of distance between them, but was met with an unbelievable amount of resistance. The harder he shoved, the tighter David's arms wrapped around him. It was like wrestling with an anaconda. He wondered how a weightless being could possibly possess this much strength. Left with nothing else to do, he gripped David by the shoulders and shook him violently in an effort to wake him.

"David! Get off me, you asshole!" Michael whisper-shouted.

To his relief, the vampire snarled at him in his sleep and relinquished his hold to roll over, raising a hand to flip him off once he'd settled onto the other side of the bed. Michael smiled at this in an almost affectionate way, before remembering who exactly he was smiling about and abruptly changing his attitude. He got out of bed, flicking on his lamp so that he could see to get dressed. Looking back at the sleeping vampire (who had now spread out to take up the whole bed) he marveled at David's ability to be completely insufferable even unconsciously. Deciding not to think to hard about what just transpired, he stumbled down the stairs and into the kitchen. On the table sat a thick envelope with his name written on it in loopy purple letters that he recognized immediately. His heart sank to the pit of his stomach, and with shaking hands, he opened it.

_Michael, ___

____

____

_By the time you read this, I'll be on a train and hopefully miles and miles from here. Santa Carla isn't safe for me anymore. It never really was. You were right, and I was silly to think that everything was over and I could start over here. I would have said this in person, but I really, really hate goodbyes. I just wouldn't be able to leave if I saw the look that's on your face right now. And I have to leave._

_I'm so sorry for the way this ended, Michael. I'm sorry that I fell in love with you and dragged you down with me. You deserved so much better. For what it's worth, I really did love you. I still do. And I'm going to miss you for the rest of my life. That's what the say about first loves, isn't it? That you never forget them. Never get over them. I'm sorry, I'm rambling. There's just so much I want to say and so little time to write it all down. All the paper in the world isn't enough._

_I really want to thank you for everything. For saving me from making the worst mistake of my life, for supporting me after everything ended, for listening to me vent for hours, and most of all, for giving me the best 3 months of my life. I hope they were as wonderful for you as they were for me._

_Love always,_

_Star_

Behind the letter was a photograph of them at the boardwalk, his arms around her and both of them smiling like the happiest kids in the world. She had signed the back of the photograph the same way, however she'd left a lipstick mark under her name. With a sigh, he collapsed against the kitchen countertop. He felt like the world was caving in around him. Star had packed up and left town, and now he was alone. He wished he could correct her. Tell her that she was wonderful and that she deserved the world. Assure her that everything was going to be okay. Or maybe, he thought, he was the one who needed the assurance. Needed to be held and told that everything was going to be alright, even if it wasn't. Either way, he was alone, his last friend and only confidant on a train to god knows where. The only thing he knew for certain right now was that he couldn't stay here. Michael stormed out the back door and straddled his bike, tearing out of the driveway and riding into the morning sun.

He was almost surprised when he realized that he was back at the old hotel. His memories of this place in the daylight were patchy from the haze of vampirism-related sleep deprivation, and as he looked out over the ocean from the decaying steps, he realized for the first time just how beautiful it was. Michael stepped into the lobby, taking in everything as though he were once again seeing it for the first time. Nothing had changed since the night he had first seen it, save for collecting a bit more dust. He walked through the lobby, taking the time to truly inspect everything; the way the sunlight came through the fault, shining upon old furniture that hadn't been moved since the turn of the century, dancing off of the sequins on the scarves that served as a canopy for what used to be Star's bed, the way the whole place smelled like incense and antiques, and faintly of marijuana. He approached the front desk, taking notice of the big leather bound registry that still sat on it, flipping through the moth-eaten pages and reading names of people who had come and gone over eighty years ago. Finally, he moved across the room to one of the newest things in it- the bed where he and Star had first made love. He laid down n the mattress, burying his face in the bedcoverings and hoping to find some trace of her scent lingering on them. There was none, which was to be expected after three months of neglect. Still, the action brought him some comfort. He didn't know where he was going to go from here. In just 3 days, he had gone from an active participant in his life to a spectator, bounced around on a sea of uncertainty and left with no other option than to see where this one way train was taking him.

Night had fallen before he made it back home. He never did make it to school that day and realized that he'd probably have to figure out some way to bribe his brother into silence, so he'd made a stop at the comic book shop before returning home. In general he tried to avoid Frog's Comics, as his brother's....friends... were still suspicious of him and while they no longer followed him around the store with stakes in their backpacks, he didn't like the way they continued to leer at him. But desperate times called for desperate measures, and despite Edgar and Alan's creepy vampire hunter act, he managed to buy an issue that his brother might not have yet. Walking in through the kitchen he dropped the comic on the table in front of his brother, who had been doing his homework. He looked up at the book, immediately perking up at the title.

"Is this Wonder Woman #1?!" Sam exclaimed, immediately forgetting his algebra. "Dude, where did you get this?!"

"Where else? Your creepy nerd friends sold it to me. It's yours if you tell mom I was at school today."

"Oh that is a deal." Sam said, snatching the book from the table.

Michael ruffled his hair playfully, leaving the kitchen and making his way to his bedroom, steeling himself to anything he may find there. He hated the lack of privacy in his own home already, which was not a good sign if this was to be a long-term arrangement. Perhaps the next time Sam begged him to take him to the comic book store, he would ask the Frog brothers for a stake or two. He threw open his door, and was greeted by the sight of David sitting crosslegged on his bed and reading something off a sheet of stationary.

"Ooh, tough luck buddy." He sighed, dropping the page on the bed. "I always knew that Star was a flake."

It was then that Michael recognized the page as Star's goodbye letter. The sight of David sitting on his bed casually reading one of the most deeply personal things he'd ever received, shaming the love of his life, caused Michael's blood to boil. With barely controlled rage, he snatched the letter from where it had been so carelessly tossed.

"Do _not_ talk about her like that!" Michael snapped, using his free hand to point threateningly at him.

"You're not going to try to fight me again, are you?" David asked flatly. "Because I wasn't kidding, I can and will kick your ass."

Michael composed himself, turning to place the letter in the drawer of his bedside table. "No, I'm not going to fight you." He said, flopping onto the bed next to the vampire. 

"Excellent." David said, clapping his hands together. He stood from the bed, standing in front of Michael. "Let's go get wasted. What'd you do with my bike?"

"Oh hell no. I am not getting wasted with you. The last time I did that you turned me into a fucking vampire against my will." Michael objected from where he lay, eyes closed beneath his hand.

"C'mon Michael. You need this as much as I do." David said, grabbing him by the wrists and pulling him to a standing position. "No funny business this time, I promise. Now, seriously, what did you do with my bike?"

"They're in the shed." Michael groaned, resigned to his fate. "All of them."

Moments later, they were sneaking out the back door to the shed in the pasture. Michael had suggested just taking his bike, but David had merely shrugged him off with a comment about refusing to 'ride bitch on a fucking Honda'. The shed's barn doors rolled open with a groan, revealing the 4 motorcycles, all in a line just the way Michael had left them three months ago. He'd been meaning to sell them to make a quick buck, but he hadn't yet gotten around to it. Besides, the machines had been so personalized that he honestly didn't know what a good asking price was. Slowly, almost hesitantly, David approached the lineup. He ran his hand across the leather seat of one, a saddened, far away look in his icy eyes that Michael had never seen before. He suddenly felt very uncomfortable, almost like he was intruding on something. Unsure of what else to do, he cleared his throat. David's head snapped up, as if he'd just noticed Michael.

"You uh....You okay?" Michael asked.

"Yeah!" David said quickly, recovering with a half-hearted grin. "Yeah... let's get out of here" He swung a leg over the Triumph, starting it up with a thunderous roar. Getting the feeling that taking one of the other boys' bikes was out of the question, Michael hopped on the back of David's bike, wrapping his arms around his waist. With one final rev of the engine, they rode off into the night.

That's how Michael ended up at the old hotel for the second time that day. David had said that he hadn't yet found anywhere else secluded enough to make home, so it really only made sense that they'd come back here. As David lit the hurricane lanterns to illuminate the place, Michael flipped through a collection of tapes in the corner until he found one that he liked, popping it into the cassette player and hitting play. The cave was immediately filled with the calliope-esque sounds of the Doors. He had remembered the record David had remarked on in his room and figured that if this was to stay civil, it was better to start from common ground. Across the room from him David smiled, withdrawing the bottle of rum from his coat and holding it up, signaling for Michael to join him. Michael sat next to him, snatching the bottle from his fist and taking a swig, relishing the way the liquor burned its way down his throat. When he'd finished he handed the bottle back to David, who had been watching him intently as he drank.

"How's that treating you?" He asked, taking a drink for himself.

"Better than anything has this whole week." Michael chuckled, leaning back against the couch.

"Heh. You could say that again." David responded. From some inside pocket on his jacket, he withdrew a joint and a zippo. Reaching across the couch, he placed it between Michael's lips, lighting it for him. The gesture was simple, but the intimacy of it made the color rise in Michael's cheeks. He was being messed with again, and he didn't appreciate it in the slightest. He took a long drag, holding the smoke in his lungs for as long as he could before exhaling, watching it curl from his lips and evaporate into the night air. Deciding on a little bit of payback, Michael scooted closer to the vampire, snaking an arm around his shoulders and putting the joint between his lips the way he'd done to him moments ago. It didn't really have the desired effect, as David didn't seem to be fazed by the closeness, instead leaning into him as he took a drag. Turning his head, David blew the smoke directly into Michael's face, making him cough and sputter. He chuckled at this, earning him a pointed glare.

"So what've you got to be so upset about?" Michael asked, breaking the silence. "Seems to me like since you showed up, you've gotten everything your little heart desires."

"A lot more than you do, asshole." David snapped, passing the joint. He reached down to pick up the rum bottle, taking a long swig.

"Wanna bet?" Michael challenged. "My family uproots me, moves me to the middle of California right before my senior year, just when I start thinking 'hey maybe this isn't so bad!', then it turns out that the girl I'm dating is a member of a gang of asshole vampires who decide to turn me into one without letting me know, I almost kill my brother, barely escape, and just when I'm starting to move past this and get my life together, the head asshole shows up in my goddamn bedroom and takes over my life, and to top it all off, he drives the love of my life out of town!"

"Buddy, your biggest problem there was thinking that not only could you trust Star, but that she was the love of your life." David scoffed.

"Oh yeah? What's yours?"

David chuckled lowly, eyes cast toward the worn hotel carpet. "He facilitates the murder of my family and then asks me what my problem is."

Guilt pooled in Michael's gut. He felt like the biggest asshole on the planet. For some reason, he'd always assumed that the vampires didn't have any feelings; that they were just blood-guzzling, power hungry, manipulative tricksters of the night with no semblance of humanity left in them. But as tonight had showed him, that assumption was far from true. As David stood, circling around the back of the couch to face him, Michael knew that he had seriously fucked up.

"Let me tell you how I see it, _Michael_ " He hissed. "One of my new fledglings develops heart eyes for her prey. I say what the heck and take a fucking chance on this kid. I bring him to my home, I feed him, I share my space with him, and I invite him into the fold -an invitation which he accepts enthusiastically- and everything is swell. Especially since I took a risk turning him without approval from that dickwad Max. You know, the _real_ head asshole? Then out of the blue, these wannabe teenage vampire slayers burst into my home and drive a wooden stake through the heart of my brother. Needless to say, I'm pissed, and my boys are positively foaming at the mouth and demanding revenge. And who am I to deny them that? So I basically walk us into a fucking death trap. And while I'm busy tangling with the son of a bitch who started all of this, my brothers die in some of the most horrific ways I could have possibly imagined. Then this guy impales me on a fucking deer head. I wake up, and for the first time in my life- before and after death - I am completely alone. So tell me Michael, who's the ass here?"

"Then why not murder me, huh?!" Michael asked.

"BECAUSE I CAN'T!" David shouted, tossing the half-full bottle against the opposing wall. He sank to his knees on the floor, crumpling like a marionette whose strings had been cut. "..I can't"

Michael had no idea how to respond to this. Just moments ago, he hadn't even thought David _could_ feel, and now here he was bearing witness to his emotional breakdown. Helpless to amend the situation, Michael did the only thing he could think to. He placed a hand on the vampire's shoulder, looking him in the eyes.

"I'm sorry" He said, and he was surprised to find that he meant it. He really was sorry for what had happened this summer. All of it.

"....Me too." came David's hushed response. He placed his hand over Michael's, squeezing it affectionately before letting it go.

"Let's just go home. This was a stupid idea." Michael said with a shrug, giving the other the way out that he would never admit to needing.

"Yeah, you're right. This place was always a dump anyway. Betcha you and I could find a better place to hang one of these nights." David agreed, clapping him on the shoulder as he stood.

As they rode away from the cliffs for the last time, Michael felt an odd sense of closure wash over him. It was almost nice, this new thing between them. If it weren't for their past and the way that this had all been forced upon him, he'd almost call it a...friendship.


	4. Chapter 4

By the fifth morning of waking up with David's nose pressed into his chest and his arms wrapped snugly around his waist, Michael was beginning to get used to it. Make no mistake, he still wouldn't talk about it, but it was becoming just another part of his daily routine. Wake up, pry himself from David's cold, dead hands, go to school, pretend to be interested, fall asleep in class anyway, go home. However, today was Saturday and without the need to get up for school, Michael ignored his alarm and buried his face in the pillows, content to sleep for as long as possible.

"Mike, it's noon. Mom says you gotta get- oh!"

Sam had obviously been sent to wake him and had been startled upon discovering his brother's new sleeping arrangement. Michael bolted up as best he could with David clinging to him like saran wrap. For a solid minute, they stared at one another, unsure of how to proceed.

"Uh, Mike? You got something you wanna tell me?" Sam asked, gesturing towards the tangled teens.

"No. Tell mom I'll be down in a minute." Michael snapped drowsily. He nudged David in the side, causing him to begrudgingly release his hold on his waist. 

Moments later, he was stumbling down the stairs, fully dressed and running a comb through his messy brown hair. He made his way to the kitchen, where he popped two pieces of bread in the toaster as his brother stared at him from behind a comic book. Michael looked his direction and he ducked his head behind the book, acting as though he hadn't been watching him in the first place. With an irritated sigh, Michael turned to his brother.

"Look, Sam, it's not what you think." He said.

"Oh Yeah? What is it then? Because I think you're sleeping with the enemy!" Sam replied harshly.

"Not sexually!" Michael explained hurriedly. "He just kinda...does that. I don't even think he realizes he's doing it."

"That... doesn't really make it better." Sam said, curling his lip.

"Look, there's nothing going on between me and David if that's what you're getting at."

"...Whatever man. Just don't let your undead boyfriend turn you into a bloodsucker."

"Oh, fuck off." Michael clapped him on the back of the head playfully, and across the room, the toaster popped.

As he retrieved his toast, the kitchen door swung open and his mother stepped through it, wearing a rather large and unflattering sun hat and covered in soil. She greeted him cheerfully upon noticing him.

"Well good morning sleepy head! I was wondering when you'd join us!"

"Hey mom. What's with....?" He trailed off, gesturing vaguely at her outfit.

"Oh, I was just doing a bit of gardening. We're going to have Daffodils come spring!" She said excitedly

"Sounds nice mom." He said, taking a bite of his toast.

"Michael I don't know how you can stand eating your toast dry like that!" She remarked, taking her hat off and hanging it on a hook by the door. Michael simply shrugged in response, continuing to eat his dry toast.

"Well, I'm going to go get showered and changed, and then how about the three of us play a game?"

"Sure mom. Sound like fun." Michael agreed. Really it wasn't like he had anything better to do with his weekends now that Star was gone and his only 'friend' was nocturnal. He wondered briefly if he would spend the rest of his life like this; playing cards with his mother in the day and surrendering his nights to David.

They played all manner of card games, losing track of time completely. His mother had always been the most competitive of them, so it really came as no surprise when she won almost every hand. The only break they took was to pick up fast food for dinner, a rare treat in their household, and as Michael finished off the last of his french fries and won his first hand of BS, he realized that this was the most fun he'd had all week. Of course, it had to be ruined when at sundown, his uninvited houseguest appeared in the kitchen as if by magic, startling them all.

"Did you guys start the party without me?" David said with a grin, placing a hand on Michael's shoulder.

"Oh, well we could deal you in if you want!" Lucy offered, pulling out the empty chair next to her. Damn his mother and her hospitality. Beside him, David's smile fell. He clearly was not expecting to have been invited in at all, let alone so enthusiastically. Michael smirked to himself. David had obviously not spent enough time with Lucy Emerson.

"...Sure." David replied, a note of caution in his voice. He sat down at the table and Lucy dealt him a hand of cards.

As they played, David visibly relaxed. Michael was more surprised that he hadn't done anything to ruin the "family friendly" atmosphere. It had just been a week of surprises for Michael, and if he was being completely honest, he missed predictability. Things were so much less complicated when they were in black and white. When he could be prepared for everything and he didn't have to second guess his feelings.

"You sure are fond of that outfit, aren't you?" Lucy stated, attempting to start up some form of conversation. "Why, I don't think I've seen you wear anything else!"

David blinked at her in confusion, momentarily caught off guard. "I don't wear anything else." He stated. "These are my clothes."

The silence in the room was deafening. Michael and Sam, sensing the impending motherly meltdown, both folded their cards and placed them on the table.

"Well that's just absurd!!" Lucy sputtered. "You can't just wear the same thing every day!"

"Why not? I like this outfit."

"Sam, what time does the mall close?" Lucy asked her youngest, completely ignoring David's question.

"Ten." Sam replied automatically, beginning to pack up the cards.

"Perfect. That gives us 3 hours to get you a suitable wardrobe. Come on." She said, standing from the table and heading towards the front door. In perfect synchronization, Sam and Michael stood and followed. Michael grabbed David by the sleeve, dragging him along.

"What just happened?" David asked him as he was ushered into the back seat of Lucy's Range Rover.

"You've just been mothered." Michael said with a sympathetic grin, patting him on the shoulder.

You'd think that for someone who had worn the same outfit for decades, David would've been less picky when it came to clothing, but really it was quite the opposite. To make the shopping trip even worse, he had absolutely no idea what size anything he wore, adding an extra layer of dressing room stress and guesswork to the equation. In the end, they left with 4 of the same black t-shirt, a grey flannel, a few pairs of jeans, his first pair of Chuck Taylors, and a blue sweater that Lucy had snuck into the stack of clothing while David wasn't looking. Sam had complained to the vampire that what he'd picked out was almost identical to what he was currently wearing and that the point of going to the mall was to get something different, which was how he'd ended up with the tennis shoes. All in all, he supposed that they weren't so bad, although they would not be his first choice. As they walked out of the mall, Michael leaned into David, talking so that just he could hear.

"So, how much of that are you actually going to wear?"

David exhaled. "Some of it. Maybe." he admitted with a smirk.

"She's gonna check, you know."

"Why does it matter to her so much?"

"It's a compulsion. She can't help but aggressively parent anything needy with a cute face." Michael shrugged.

"Excuse me?" David snapped. Realizing what he'd just said, Michael's face flushed red with embarrassment. Still, he tried to play it cool as he offered an explanation.

"Well yeah. This troubled kid with a case of baby-face so bad that even growing a beard didn't help shows up on her doorstep and bats his big blue eyes and begs for a place to live. It was only a matter of time before you became her honorary third son, blood-sucking heathen or not."

"Oh fuck you!" David said, punching him in the arm a little harder than intended.

Michael didn't mind, though. The pain was a welcome momentary distraction from the panicking sirens in his head. Why had he said that? He didn't think David was cute. Handsome, maybe. Dangerously beautiful even. Just because Michael was straight didn't mean he didn't know what a gorgeous dude looked like. But cute? Well, maybe in the mornings after he's fallen asleep and he's not being a pain in Michael's ass. Or in those rare moments that he genuinely smiled. Or- wait no. What was he thinking?!

As Michael had a minor crisis in the backseat of his mom's Range Rover, the rest of its occupants seemed oblivious. Sam turned up the radio, joining Lucy in singing along to some song from that movie that came out this summer. Beside him, David hummed absentmindedly, drumming his fingers on the door. Michael glanced his direction, hoping that the vampire wouldn't notice. He took a calming breath, letting it out slowly. Cute was definitely the wrong adjective. Sure, he hadn't been far off on the babyface comment, but there was just too much countering it. No, beautiful was far more accurate. David's eyes met his and Michael realized that he'd been caught staring. Shit.

"You think anyone would miss those Frog boys?" He asked quietly, apparently unconcerned with Michael's gaze.

"Unfortunately yes." Michael answered. "Give it a bit of time, they'll graduate high school and everyone will forget about them."

"Damn. Guess I'm on a steady diet of transients and estranged teens, then." David smirked.

"Guess so. Personally, I prefer twinkies and coke."

David laughed at this, affectionately placing a hand on Michael's shoulder, and messed up though it was, Michael couldn't help but laugh with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the slightly silly chapter, but A) I would die for Lucy Emerson and writing her is a delight and B) My kink is taking bad boy characters and breaking them, and sometimes that means making them grieve the loss of their entire family, and others it means that their new mom makes them go clothes shopping and they pout the whole time. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	5. Chapter 5

He was gonna do it. It was time to stop being a pussy and say something about their sleeping arrangement. He'd been avoiding the subject simply because it was one more thing he didn't want to deal with, but after the events of last night he couldn't ignore it anymore. Michael desperately needed to put some distance between them, and that was damn near impossible when he was playing human teddy bear. Besides, what if next time it wasn't Sam that walked in and saw them like that, but Mom, or Grandpa? What the hell would he say then? There wouldn't be a way out of that situation. No, this had to end now.

Michael lay on his bed, consumed with his thoughts, watching his ceiling fan spin as though it were the most interesting thing in the world. He thought that he was ready for this conversation but when David walked in his door, his pre-prepared speech went flying out of his head. Without so much as a greeting, David flopped onto the bed next to him.

"Long night?" Michael asked, not moving from where he lay.

"Off season. Food is scarce." David explained, eyes closed. "And shopping seriously cut into hunting time."

"Are you going to eat my family?" Michael asked flatly.

"No." David smirked. "Not unless I have to."

The thought that immediately crossed Michael's mind was so sudden and depraved that it almost made him shudder, but try as he might he couldn't shake it. It quickly overwhelmed his better judgement, coming out of his mouth before he could stop it.

"You could take me."

David turned to him, shocked. "What?"

"You could uh.....take me. My blood. Not all of it, just....if you need it, I'm probably not using all of it." Michael stuttered, face flushing a bright red. "Besides, it would keep you from having to eat my family."

David rolled onto his side, eyes boring into Michael in a way that sent shivers down his spine. He brushed a stray curl from his face, hand coming to rest just under Michael's jaw. The look in his eyes was somewhere between hunger and lust, and Michael was more afraid of how that look made him feel than the thought of being bitten. David's gaze shifted to his neck, staring intensely where his pulse beat.

"....Are you sure about that, Michael?" David asked, voice suddenly husky.

Michael nodded, afraid, yet unable to refuse. Wordlessly, David straddled his hips, crouching low over him. His lips ghosted across his skin, and Michael stiffened. The effect that this little bit of skin to skin contact had on him was unlike anything he'd experienced before. It was a burning, thrumming sensation and he didn't want it to ever stop. He felt David smile against his neck, continuing to kiss his way down to his collar bone. David's tongue swept across his clavicle, and despite his best efforts, A low moan rumbled in Michael's throat. David rolled his hips against him, spurred on by the noise. While he distracted Michael from the waist down, David plunged his fangs into the crook of Michael's neck, lapping eagerly at the blood that flowed from the incision. Michael cried out in a mixture of pain and pleasure, surprised at the feeling it spurred in him. His hand flew to where David's head connected with his neck, fingers twisting in his hair, holding him there. What blood wasn't being drained from his neck was rushing south fast, and the way David was grinding against him was not helping at all. With a gasp, David pulled away, wiping Michael's blood from his chin.

Beneath him, Michael was a panting, flushed, and bloody mess, hips rolling up to meet David's. He was so beautifully debauched and wonderfully eager, and David couldn't help himself. He gripped Michael's face and pulled him into a ravenous and hungry kiss. Not long ago, Michael would have attempted to push him away, terrified of some unknown truth. But by now that truth had been realized, and whatever this burning feeling was, he needed more of it. He sat up so that David was sitting in his lap, gripping his hips and returning the kiss with equal fervor. David bit his lip as he pulled away, drawing blood. He smiled down at him, wiping the trickle of blood from his face.

"What was that?" Michael asked breathlessly. "Do you do that to all your prey?"

"Michael, I thought you'd figured it out by now." David chuckled. "You're special."

"Special how?" A dopey grin spread across Michael's face, and he wasn't sure if it was the compliment or the blood loss.

"It's easier to show than to explain." David said, suddenly very serious. Removing his gloves with his teeth, David caressed his face with his bare hand. Everywhere his hand touched felt like a flame had been lit under his skin. Michael inhaled sharply, gripping his wrist. "D'ya feel that Michael?"

"Yeah..." He whispered.

"We're made for each other, Michael. You and me." David whispered, pressing their foreheads together. "That's why I could never stay away from you. Not even after everything that happened." 

It didn't make any sense- it _shouldn't_ make any sense- the concept of soulmates defied all logic. But then again, he'd thought the same thing about vampires 4 months ago. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He'd felt this unexplained and intense pull towards David from the moment they'd met, but he'd always assumed it was some sort of vampire mind trick. Another manipulation tactic to get him to surrender his mortality. Now he knew that David hadn't had any more control over this than he did. Somehow that made him feel better.

"Like...like a soulmates sorta thing?" He asked

"Heh...yeah, pretty much. To tell you the truth, before you moved to town, I didn't believe that shit at all. But then- that night at the boardwalk, when I first saw you- it was just......" David trailed off.

"Yeah." Michael finished. "I know what you mean. But I didn't think-I mean, I wasn't-I always thought-" He paused, collecting his thoughts. "I was in love with Star."

David scoffed, rolling his eyes. "We were all in love with Star. She has that effect on people. Why do you think I was so eager to turn her? Imagine the possibilities! I mean, just look at how quickly she convinced you to come with us. It was the kind of skill we needed, especially after people started recognizing Marko."

"Well, that clears up absolutely nothing." Michael said with a smile.

David broke into a laugh, resting his head against Michael's shoulder. In response, Michael wrapped his arms around David's waist, pulling him closer and burying his face against his t-shirt. He'd never willingly been this close to David and it was...weird. But comfortable weird. The vampire sagged against him, sighing deeply.

"....So what does this make us?" Michael asked.

"I don't know." David sighed. "I don't care, really, so long as we can keep doing this."

Michael nodded against him. Just a little while ago, he was determined to put an end to this, put some distance between them. Now he didn't know what he wanted. The only certainty was that he wasn't going to let this end. He couldn't. Against him, David shifted, beginning to kiss his neck again. His lips were gentle against his skin, almost apologetic. David's hands gripped the hem of his shirt, hiking it up slowly as he continued to kiss down his body and pausing to place one very deliberate kiss over the healing bite mark. Michael raised his arms, allowing David to pull his shirt off. Cold fingers immediately began running across his skin, sending a chill down his spine as David mapped out the lines of his body. His nails raked down Michael's chest, careful so as not to draw blood. Michael hissed at the sensation, startled at the sharpness of his nails. He didn't know where this was going, but it was going there fast. Putting a hand in the middle of his chest, David pushed Michael back onto his back, moving to kiss a trail from his collarbone to just above the button of his pants. He looked up at him, blue eyes dark with desire. Michael felt his breath catch in his throat.

"Do you want me to take care of this?" David asked, that chilling huskiness creeping back into his voice as he palmed Michael through his jeans.

"If you don't mind." Michael responded.

Permission given, David wasted no time in relieving Michael of his pants, boxers sliding to his ankles along with his jeans. He licked a stripe from the base of Michael's cock to the tip, eliciting a surprised gasp. David's mouth was cold as the rest of him, and Michael supposed that must be a part of being undead, but it didn't make the sensation of a cold blowjob any less jarring. Still, it wasn't unenjoyable. Michael groaned as David's tongue teased his head, swirling around it expertly. Without warning, he took him to the hilt, almost choking himself in the process. Michael whined as he began to move, deepthroating him with the confidence of a professional. His fingers twisted in David's hair, tugging gently, and David let out a moan around his length. He couldn't help but thrust up into the feeling, accidentally gagging the vampire. Michael gasped a hurried apology when David glared up at him. He then found his hip pinned to the bed by an unnaturally strong hand. David redoubled his efforts, focusing on bringing Michael as close to the edge as he possibly could before pulling off completely, earning him a deliciously needy cry. He lazily stroked him, looking up at Michael with a devilish smirk.

"Tell me what you want, Michael." He demanded, resting his face on Michael's thigh. Above him Michael was a wreck, flushed and panting, fingers grasping at the sheets, dark brown curls sticking to his face. David doubted if he could string a sentence together at all, which is what made it all the more fun of course.

"Da-David..." Michael panted hips jerking into David's hand, urging him to move faster. However, the vampire was insistent, slowing down even further, his blue eyes staring up from Michael's thigh expectantly. " _Please..._ "

" 'Please' what, Michael? You're gonna have to be more specific. Communication _is_ the most important part of any relationship"

"GOD! David, just- let me cum!" Michael gasped in frustration.

" _Good boy..._ " David purred, kissing his thigh before turning his attention back to Michael's aching prick.

David bobbed his head along Michael's shaft slowly, releasing his hold on Michael's hip and moving the boy's hand back to his hair. Taking the hint, Michael pulled him onto his cock, fucking his throat shamelessly. Feeling his orgasm building low in his belly, he sped up his thrusts, holding David flush against him as he came. The vampire made eye contact with him as he swallowed, making him shudder with ecstasy. Michael released his grip on David's hair with a satisfied sigh, collapsing back into the pillows. David crawled back up the mattress to lay beside him, still fully clothed, although a little more tousled than when they'd begun. Michael ran his fingers through David's hair, surprised at how soft it was. 

"Everything's gotta be a power play with you, doesn't it." He said breathlessly.

"Yep. Get used to it, _kitten._ " David teased.

"You've called me that twice now-"

"It's your official nickname."

"Lucky me." Michael chuckled, kissing David's forehead. "I'll have to come up with something worse for you." He closed his eyes, contented.

"Are you going to sleep on me already? It's only 2 am."

"What, were you planning on drinking any more of my body fluids?"

David shot him a glare before standing, shedding his coats and tossing them in the corner. He undressed to just his T-shirt and boxers, grabbing the pull cord and turning the light off. Collapsing into the bed next to him, David wrapped his arms around Michael's waist, pulling the comforter over them and burying his face against Michael's chest. For the first time, Michael returned the embrace, turning so that they were facing one another and hugging David close to him. Against his chest, David sighed happily.

"Goodnight asshole." Michael murmured.

"Goodnight dickwad." David responded with a smile.

Michael knew that David wouldn't be asleep for the next five hours, but in his exhaustion he didn't really care. He still wasn't sure about this...thing between them, but one thing was for sure; this was a helluva lot better than fighting all the time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOOOOOOO BOY! Earning my explicit rating with this chapter! sorry it took so long to update, y'all. Life happened and it ended up taking centuries to write. But reading all of your lovely comments has been wonderfully motivating! Thank you all so much!


	6. Chapter 6

Michael woke up with his alarm the next morning. Explaining the cuddling would have been hard enough, but explaining why he's naked? Not a conversation he wanted to have. Still, he took his sweet time getting up, watching David sleep with curiosity. There was no steady rise and fall of his chest, no breath against Michael's shoulder where he'd buried his face. No subconscious twitching, no response to Michael reaching a hand out to comb through his hair. If he didn't know better, Michael would have assumed that the being next to him was really quite deceased. This could've been him. He came so close to this, to 'living' forever in a dead body that never aged. If he hadn't held back at the bonfire, if Grandpa hadn't driven through the front door at the exact moment he did...this would be him. However- he thought, studying David's relaxed features with an affectionate gaze- on him, immortality wasn't such a bad look. He realized then that he had no idea how old David was. Not how old he was when he was turned, or adding up all the years after. If he had to guess, he'd say he was 17, but who knows how long he'd been 17? At some point, he supposed he'd have to ask, but for now he needed to get dressed. With some difficulty, he managed to slip out of his grasp.

He dressed quickly, making his way to the bathroom to do something about what he was sure was some pretty obvious sex hair. Michael opened the bathroom door to find his brother already there, using half a can of hairspray to get his hair perfect. His heart jumped, and his hands flew to his hair, attempting to straighten it the best he could before Sam took notice.

"Hey! Look who's up before noon." Sam teased, not looking from the mirror.

"Oh shut up. You'd choose to sleep in too if getting up meant having to wake a sleeping vampire. And lemme tell ya-" He snatched a comb from the countertop "David is NOT a morning person."

"Well you wouldn't have to confront him if you weren't sleeping with him! What happened to the closet situation anyway?" Sam asked, finally tearing his gaze from his reflection to shoot his brother a glare.

"Are _you_ going to tell him he has to go back to sleeping in the closet?" Michael countered, but Sam wasn't listening anymore. His eyes were fixed wide to the side of his neck. Panic rising in his gut, Michael spared a sideways glance into the mirror. Shit.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR NECK?!" Sam shouted, pointing at the clearly defined bite mark there.

"Sammy shut up, you're gonna alert the whole damn state!" Michael hissed, clapping a hand over his brother's mouth. Sam quickly managed to struggle out of his hold, but kept his voice down anyway.

"What the _hell_ Michael?! Is he using you as a fucking food source now?!"

"No! Well, yes, but only because I told him to!"

"Why would you do that Mike?! Are you crazy?! What's he got on you?! Is it us? Was he threatening us again?! We could just go stake him right now! Come on." Sam pulled open a drawer, removing a wooden stake and making for Michael's door. Alarmed, Michael grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him back.

"NO! Why the _hell_ do you even have that there?!"

"In case he steps out of line." Sam gestured towards Michael's bedroom door with the stake.

"Okay, well you're not using it, so you can just return that to the idiots who gave it to you." Michael said jerking the stake from Sam's hand. "Look, nothing happened, okay? He didn't make me give myself up for you or anything, I let him do it."

"Why would you-" Sam started, but the sentence remained unfinished as realization dawned on him. His eyes went wide with surprise. "Oh no. That's a fucking _vampire hickey_ isn't it? I can't believe it! My own brother is actually _sleeping_ with a goddamn vampire!"

Michael was a terrible liar, so anything he could have said would have incriminated him anyway. Instead he went stone silent, letting Sam rage.

"Oh my god Mike! Why him, huh? There are tons of people in Santa Carla, guys, girls, you name it, and out of all those options you choose a freaking _vampire_?! What has he got you under some sort of mind control spell or something?"

"What? No. That's just dumb. Look Sam, I really don't care what you think about it, but you can NOT tell mom."

"Why not? Did you let him turn you again, huh? Are you a vampire too?"

"Sammy, listen to yourself. It's 8 am. You know damn good and well that as a half-vampire I couldn't get up before one in the afternoon, and you said yourself that it took staking Marko before any of the others woke up. If I had been turned, do you honestly think I'd be awake right now?"

"Okay, so you're not a vampire. But why-"

"Because, Sam. Because. Just promise me you won't tell mom."

Sam bit his lip in contemplation, weighing his options. "Fine." He groaned "But you owe me big time."

"Thank you so much Sam." Michael sighed in relief, turning to the mirror again. Finding a way to cover that was gonna be a bitch.

"So.........do you uh....do you pitch or do you catch?" Sam asked shamelessly.

Michael choked on nothing, giving his brother the most shocked and offended look he could manage. "Dude what the fuck?! Why would you ask me that?!"

"Ah. You must be a catcher."

He gave Sam the universal older sibling eye contact that meant 'run while you have the chance', and Sam took the opportunity, darting out of the shared bathroom like a bat out of hell. Michael chased him down the stairs and into the living room, tackling him onto the couch and giving him the world's worst noogie.

"NOOO! MY HAIR!!!!!!" Sam cried, attempting to push Michael off of him.

"Michael!"

Michael's head snapped up at his Grandpa's voice, quickly scrambling off of Sam. His younger brother sat up equally fast, immediately attempting to repair the damage to his previously perfect hairdo.

"This came for you." The old man tossed an envelope at him, and he barely caught it.

"Oh, uh, thanks Grandpa" he stuttered, glancing down at the envelope. His breath caught in his chest when he realized it was written in the same loopy handwriting as his goodbye letter from Star.

"Don't mention it. And you might want to get that covered before your mom gets back." He said, gesturing towards his neck with a knowing grin.

Michael clapped a hand to his neck, feeling his face grow red with embarrassment. He took the stairs two at a time, making sure to enter his bedroom through the bathroom so as not to let any sunlight in. He'd figured out a couple days ago that the electric light was yet another thing that could not wake the sleep of the undead, so he switched on the overhead light and hurriedly opened the envelope. As he tore it open at the top, he noticed with a heavy heart that there was no return address.

_Michael,_

_I really shouldn't even be writing this to you, but I couldn't help myself. I hope that you're okay. I have to tell you that I haven't been totally honest with you, but Michael, I thought he was dead. I never thought you'd need to know, and then he was back, and I was so scared I just left without ever telling you. David's convinced that you're the love of his life or something. It was a...point of contention... between us. That's why he wanted you to come back to the hotel, to ride with us, to join us. Because he wanted you. He wanted to impress you, to lure you away from me, and most importantly, to turn you._

_He's going to try to do it again, Michael. David is a single minded person. When he wants something he'll stop at nothing to get it, and he wants you by his side for eternity. For all I know, he's already convinced you to give up your future and return to immortality, and this warning serves absolutely no purpose other than to endanger myself. But if he hasn't yet-if you're still human- the please, please think before you do anything stupid. I know that David makes it seem like a good idea. Thrilling, fun, romantic. But-_

Michael crumpled up the letter, tossing it angrily in the corner. He couldn't believe what he was reading. The first letter he gets from Star since she left and there's no 'I'm fine! How are you?' no 'I'm sorry for leaving you with a supernatural being who I know wants into your pants' just 'Don't become a vampire please, even though I obviously didn't care enough to stay.' It made him feel like his wellbeing was just an afterthought to her. Of course, now that he was thinking about it he wondered if he'd ever been a forethought. Initially he'd been a meal for her, then a way out of vampirism, then a part of her 'happy normal young woman' look. It seemed to him that first and foremost, he'd been a tool, and when he'd outlived his usefulness, well, he got _letters_. He wasn't even considering becoming a vampire again, and David hadn't offered once, but now he was seriously thinking about it.

Okay, so maybe he wasn't seriously thinking about it. He was petty, but not 'become a murdering creature of the night because your ex-girlfriend told you not to' petty. He dug through his closet, looking for anything with a high collar and settling on his only turtleneck. God he looked like an idiot. But at least his mother didn't have to see the glaring evidence of her son's affair with a vampire. A guy vampire, to boot. He sighed, sparing a glance toward the bed, where David had sprawled out like a starfish, only half under the blankets. Michael smiled and shook his head, pulling the blankets back over him and switching the lamp off on the way out.

That night, he decided to make dinner for everyone. Sure, he wasn't the best cook, but spaghetti was easy enough and he needed an outlet. Besides, on the off chance that mom noticed the turtleneck, he hoped that a kind and helpful gesture would serve as a temporary blinder. Somehow, he managed to get dinner on the table right as Lucy walked in the door, looking worn out from her shift at the video store. She greeted him with pleasant surprise.

"Michael, what's all this?"

"Dinner." He shrugged. "Could you get Sam and Grandpa?"

"Sure, dear." She said with a tired smile.

Dinner was ultimately boring. Sam talked about school, Mom about work, and Michael and his Grandpa just nodded in silence. It wasn't as though he had much to contribute to the conversation. Anything that he might have wanted to talk about was far from dinner table appropriate, so instead he pretended to listen to Sam go on about freshman year drama. After they'd finished and he'd begun clearing the table Michael realized that sunset had come and gone over an hour ago, and he hadn't seen nor heard anything from David. It was strange, but not _dangerous_ strange, so he let it go.

When another hour passed and Michael had nothing else to do but help his mother with the crossword puzzle, he decided he better investigate his roommate's absence. He opens his door to find his bedroom empty and his window open, curtains fluttering in the night wind. Michael leaned against his doorframe with a sigh. If David had gone out to hunt, he would have at least made his presence known before leaving as he seemed unable to go a day without messing with them in some way or another. So if he wasn't lurking in the house and he wasn't out terrorizing the town, then where the hell was he? Michael went to close the window. In the distance, he could see that the door to the shed was wide open. Bingo.

Michael snuck out the back door as quietly as he could. Making his way across the pasture in the dark without the assistance of someone who can see in the dark was less than ideal, and he narrowly avoided stepping in horse shit more times than he would like to admit. By the time he reached the shed, he was more irritated than anything.

"David?! Are you sulking in here?!" He hissed into the darkness.

A quick shuffling noise to his left caught his attention and he turned, almost running into the vampire in question. David gripped him firmly by the wrist, keeping him from falling.

"What are you doing here?" He asked sharply.

"I could ask you the same thing!" Michael snapped, jerking his hand back. He's met with a stony silence. David slinked back into the darkness and Michael attempted to follow, hitting his shin on something metal and cursing loudly. "Oh c'mon David! That's not fair. I can't see!"

In the dark, a gloved hand grabbed him and lead him to the shed wall. Taking the hint, he slid down to a sitting position. They sat there in the quiet, side by side on the uneven slats of the shed floor. Michael's eyes finally began to adjust to the dark. In front of them, the boys' bikes stood in a row, custom builds like metal effigies to the beings that once rode them. Beside him, David sat with his knees to his chest, staring expressionlessly at the line of motorcycles. Realization dawned on Michael, and for a second he felt like a dick for intruding.

"......you okay man?" He asked, helpless to amend the situation.

David didn't respond. He was obviously lost in whatever spiral he'd been in when Michael interrupted him. Cautiously, Michael reached towards the vampire, placing a hand on his shoulder in what he hoped was a reassuring gesture. He was caught by surprise when David leaned towards him, falling into him with his head resting on his shoulder. Unsure of how to proceed, Michael moved to wrap his arm around David's shoulders. With a sigh, David buried his face against his shoulder. Michael hadn't ever pegged David for a cuddler, at least consciously anyway, but he supposed that there was a lot more to David than he let on. He pulled the vampire closer to him, adjusting so that they could sit more comfortably. Well, as comfortably as two young men could sit on a shed floor. Where David's face met his shoulder, his turtleneck began to grow damp and Michael realized that the vampire was crying. He was really out of his league now. Michael moved a hand to run his fingers through David's hair, searching desperately for a way to start a conversation.

"Hey. Halloween is coming up next weekend. You got any plans?" He said casually. It wasn't a good distraction. In fact, it was downright shitty and Michael regretted saying anything at all.

"Are you serious?" David scoffed.

"Okay, let me rephrase that." Michael backtracked as fast as he could. He didn't know what he was saying or where it was going, and before he could figure it out, he was speaking again. "Halloween is coming up next weekend. Do you want to do something?"

David offered him a tired smile. "Michael Emerson, are you asking me on a date?"

"Uh..." Michael trailed off. "Yeah. I guess I am."

"That was fast." David says with a grin. It's not like his usual cocky grin, rather a crude approximation of it. It's his eyes that throw the look off. They're tired, sad, and impossibly old. "Alright, I accept."

Abruptly, David stands, pulling Michael up off of the shed floor with him. "You're gonna take me to the boardwalk, we're gonna ride a few rides, scare a few unsuspecting children, you're gonna win me a stupid stuffed animal, and - if you're lucky - I might even hold your hand, loverboy." He says matter-of-factly.

Michael smiles at his boldness. "Okay. It's a date."

Taking him by the hand, David leads him out of the darkened shed. Of course, by now Michael could see just fine, but he wasn't going to say anything. At the door, David stops, looking over his shoulder at the motorcycles one last time.

"We..we should sell those." He said forlornly, yet decisively.

Michael nodded in agreement, twining their fingers together and squeezing his hand sympathetically. He didn't know how to handle regular sadness, let alone genuine grief, but he figured that the least he could do was provide some sort of support. After all, he was at least part of the reason David was grieving in the first place. This dance they were doing grew more complicated by the night, and although he was scared of the outcome, Michael was beginning to realize that ultimately he had no choice but to follow along until it ended. Putting a hand on his back, Michael guided David back towards the house. They'd stayed out all night, and Michael was beginning to notice the first signs of the skyline lightening. With a sigh, he realized that this meant he'd be getting maybe an hour of sleep before having to get up for school. He lead David up the stairs as quietly as he could, not wanting to be caught sneaking in at 6 in the morning.

David collapsed into the bed, pulling Michael down on top of him. After a few minutes, he stilled and Michael assumed he'd fallen asleep, making a move to get up. He'd wanted to at least take his jeans off, but David pulls him back against his chest.

"Don't....don't leave me." he whispered, voice breaking. "Please, Michael."

Michael couldn't argue with that. He did his best to wiggle out of his jeans while laying down, kicking them to the floor. Pulling the comforter over them, he buries his face in the material of David's jacket.

"I'm not going anywhere." he whispered, before surrendering to his exhaustion.


	7. Chapter 7

October 31st, 1987. Michael shouldn't be this nervous, but there he was, leaned into the mirror and fussing over his hair like a girl on prom night. This whole thing was just stupid. The thought of him and David on a real, honest to god, 'hold my hand and win me a teddy bear' date was genuinely laughable. He had no doubts that this wouldn't be as innocent as it sounded, but for the moment he pretended it would. After all, as hard as it was to imagine David hanging on his arm like a doe-eyed teenage girl, it was easier than trying to guess what he'd do to fuck everything up. With a frustrated sigh, he collapsed against the bathroom door.

Why did these things happen so fast? And why always to him? Lately, it seemed that trouble followed at his heels like a lost dog, and perhaps he was beginning to welcome it in. After all, he had been the one to accept David's advances- encourage them, even- and it was him who had suggested the date in the first place. It wasn't as though he was expecting David to accept, but ultimately, he was still at least partly responsible for whatever happened tonight. For whatever had been happening the past few weeks. It was like that time the brakes went out on his bicycle when he was 10. He could see the tree hurtling towards him, but there was nothing he could do to stop it. Maybe- he thought with a start- he didn't want to. A knock on the door reverberated against Michael's skull, snapping him out of his tormented thoughts.

"Michael, are you dead?" Sam's voice came from behind the door. It was the first time he'd spoken to Michael since he'd figured out what was going on between him and David. Michael stood and with only mild hesitation, opened the door.

"Bathroom's all yours, Sam." Michael said briskly. The tension between them was unusual, uncomfortable, and the longer it went on, the more guilty Michael felt. It certainly made family dinners a tad more awkward.

"You look nice. Going somewhere?"

"Yeah, actually. I'm going to the boardwalk."

"Alone?"

"No." Michael sighed. "I'm taking David."

"And all this-" Sam said with scorn, gesturing generally at Michael's appearance. "Is for him? Like the earring, and the jacket, and the glasses were for him?"

"That wasn't for him." Michael insisted, although as he thought back, he realized that it was. It didn't matter though, Sam had already known. Michael wondered just how much Sam knew.

"Yeah, right." Sam scoffed. "And I'm a goddamned Ghostbuster."

"You uh. You got plans?" Michael asked, desperate to keep the longest conversation they'd had in a week going as long as he could.

"Why, you wanna drag me along on your little date?"

"No-"

"Good. Because I don't think I can compete with your costume." Sam said, bumping Michael's shoulder roughly as he passed. He slammed the bathroom door behind him.

Michael sighed, taking a second glance at his outfit. Maybe Sam was right and he was making a huge mistake. With a sigh, he removed his earring and placed it into the pocket of his leather jacket, which he hung on the handle of the bathroom door. Michael sulked his way down the stairs, collapsing into an armchair with a heavy sigh. The sun was beginning to set, and it was officially too late to call the whole thing off, so there was nothing left to do but sit and wait. Mom was working late at the video store, as Halloween was always one of the store's busiest nights. Grandpa was in his workshop, tinkering with some poor dead animal. Sam was doing god knows what. At the sound of footsteps on the stairs, Michael perked up, head snapping to look.

"Hey Michael, you ready to head out or do you want to powder your nose first?" David sneered from the top of the stairs. Michael tried not to let the relief show on his face.

"Don't make me change my mind," Michael smirked, clapping the vampire on the shoulder as they walked out the front door.

As David swung a leg over his bike, his coat fell open to reveal an unfamiliar flash of blue. Michael surged forward, moving his jacket aside and gripping the sweater underneath.

"Woah woah woah, _what_ is that?" 

"Oh this? It was a present from your mom."

"I know that, stupid." Michael said, rolling his eyes. "I mean why are you actually _wearing_ it?"

David gave him a questioning glance. "It's Halloween, Michael. What's the point if you don't dress up?" He patted the leather seat and Michael hopped on, wrapping his arms around David's cashmere-clad waist. "Besides, it brings out my eyes."

They spend their first 5 minutes at the boardwalk wandering aimlessly in a heavy and awkward silence, watching sticky, costumed children chase each other around the carnival rides and normal young couples clinging to one another. Michael didn't know what to do. He didn't know where his boundaries were; if he should hold his hand, or put his arm around his shoulders, or even touch him at all. He didn't know how to start a conversation, or what topics to avoid, or anything, really. It was nothing like being on a date with Star. Assertive, beautiful Star who always knew just how to rescue Michael from his failing conversation skills. In this moment, he desperately missed that.

"So uh... what do kids these days talk about on first dates?" David asked, rubbing his hands together in an uninspired and fidgety way.

"Hell if I know." Michael said, letting out a sigh. "I'm kind of a conversation killer."

"Well, back in my day I would have asked your father permission to court you, spent a few hours exchanging pleasant conversation with you under the watchful eye of our parents, and then returned with a suitable dowry in exchange for your hand in marriage." David said, turning to him.

"Really?" Michael asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh hell no." David scoffed. "I would have lured you away with my charm and seduced you in the barn loft. Do I look like the kind of guy you'd want your teenage daughter to marry?"

"Who are you calling a teenaged daughter?" Michael laughed despite himself, thankful that the ice was now broken. David chuckled along with him, pulling a cigarette out of the pack in his coat pocket and tucking it behind his ear. "Are you really that old?"

"115 in December."

"Jesus!"

"Not quite." David smirked. "He's a bit older."

"You uhh.. certainly look good for your age. Not a day over 17." Michael stuttered, attempting to regain some of his cool.

"17, huh?" David said with a satisfied grin. "That's generous of you. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to flatter me."

"How old were you then? 19? 20?"

David laughed dryly, putting a hand on Michael's shoulder. "Try 15."

"15?!" Michael repeated incredulously, looking at David as though he was seeing him for the first time. "You're kidding me. You have a beard!"

"My father was Scotch-Irish. We grow hair. It's what we do." David shrugged, before self-consciously adding. "Besides, in 1890, 15 was pretty much an adult."

"15...."Michael said, trailing off. "You're Sam's age. You're like a baby!"

"I turned 15 last century, Michael! I'm old enough to be your great-grandfather! Do NOT compare me to your dorky kid brother!" David protested, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Wait, are you pouting?" Michael asked, gesturing to his position. David immediately pressed his arms back to his sides.

"I am not pouting."

"Oh my god, that's adorable." Michael tutted, ruffling David's hair. David's hand moved faster than Michael could process, gripping his wrist with supernatural strength.

"Call me 'cute' one more time, I dare you." He hissed, anger burning in his eyes.

"Alright." Michael smirked, leaning in. "You're cute." He surged forward as he finished the sentence, punctuating it with a quick kiss to the end of David's nose.

The vampire stuttered, seemingly caught between anger and embarrassment. Eventually, he settled on punching Michael in the chest, probably a little harder than necessary. Michael doubled over slightly, still smiling from his stunt. He had to say, this was going better than he'd thought it would. After all, it had taken him a whole 8 minutes to piss David off. That was like, a new record.

"So." Michael coughed, straightening himself. "You've been in Santa Carla longer than I have. What's your favorite ride?"

"Hell no. This is a trap. You pick something."

"Oh c'mon, Davey." Michael said, rubbing David's shoulders encouragingly. He kinda figured he'd need to suck up after pissing him off like that, but god, was it worth it to get under his skin. "I'm just a tourist. I need a handsome local to show me around."

"Alright, Emerson. You win." David sighed, turning and gripping Michael by the chin. "Besides-" he smirked "How can I say no when you ask so nicely, _kitten_?"

Michael groaned at the use of the nickname but allowed himself to be dragged off through the boardwalk. He was surprised when David stopped in front of the carousel. For some reason he'd assumed that David would have been more of a thrill-ride person. But, Michael supposed, it must be difficult to find anything that gets your adrenaline pumping when you're mostly invulnerable. Michael hadn't been on a carousel since he was 8, and felt hyper-aware of the glances he drew as he mounted a nearby wooden horse. Suddenly, he felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around his waist from behind. He glanced over his shoulder to find that rather than picking out his own horse, David had chosen to sit behind Michael, holding him from behind for balance. He placed his chin on Michael's shoulder.

"It's your turn, now." David said, unaffected by their proximity. "Tell me something about Michael Emerson."

"Uhhh..." Michael trailed off, desperately searching for anything interesting about himself. "I uh.. I played violin in middle school?" He mentally smacked himself. God why did he say that?

Behind him, David chuckled. "Violin, huh? Were you any good?"

"Hell no."

David's laughter melted with the sounds of calliope music as the ride started up, spinning them 'round in a lazy circle of lights and color. Michael was beginning to see the draw in the carousel. It still wouldn't have been his first choice, but between David pressed against him and the dizzy lights and mirrored ceilings and the kind of woodwork that people don't have time for anymore, he was completely dazzled.

"Is failing at violin your only notable talent, or are there more things you're keeping from me?" David whispered against Michael's neck. 

Michael cleared his throat, suddenly far too hot, and scooted forward so that there was just a little bit of space between them. "I wouldn't say I'm keeping anything from you. I'm just not that interesting." He shrugged as the carousel came to a jerky stop.

"That's fine." David said, jumping down from the wooden horse. "I'm sure that Lucy has some interesting stories about you."

"Hey! That's not fair!!" Michael objected, walking quickly to keep up with the vampire, who was already back to perusing the stalls of carnival games. "Your mom isn't even alive to tell your awful life stories!!"

David turned back to him with a mischievous grin.

"Tell you what, Michael. I'll make a deal with you."

"Yeah? And what's that?" Michael said, crossing his arms.

"You win me that-" David pointed to a large stuffed bear with little felt fangs dressed in a large collared cape at a nearby stall. "And I'll drop the subject entirely."

Michael bit his lip. It had been a long time since he pitched for his little league team and he knew that even if he wasn't out of practice, all the games were rigged anyway. "And if I don't?"

"Well, then I'll have no choice but to get back on my bike and take us all the way to Max's Video so that your Mom can tell me every one of your most embarrassing moments."

"Fine, asshole. You're on." Michael said, slamming a dollar onto the counter.

Michael willed his hands not to shake as he took aim. His entire reputation was at stake here. Winding back, he lets the baseball fly from his hand. To his astonishment, the ball strikes the stack of milk bottles directly in the center, toppling all of them in one shot. His eyes widened in disbelief as he ran a hand through his hair. Behind him, David applauded lightly, more impressed than he would ever admit. The vendor handed him his bounty with a grumble, quickly turning back to reset the game. With a shit-eating grin, Michael turned back to his companion, shoving the bear into his arms.

"Nice shot. You got lucky." David smirked, clutching the bear to his chest. He wasn't at all expecting Michael to win, and truthfully he had no idea what he was going to do with such a large and silly looking thing.

"Luck ain't got nothing to do with it, babe. I was star pitcher in the little league." Michael puffed sarcastically, flexing his bicep.

"Oh silly me. I shouldn't have underestimated a professional." David chuckled, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, the line for the ferris wheel is short. That's a thing couples do, right?" Michael suggested, pointing towards the glittering metal wheel.

"You're gonna put me in that metal death trap?" David asked, upper lip curling. 

"David, you're immortal." Michael said flatly. "Besides, even if we get stuck at the top, you can fucking fly."

"Yes, but consider: fuck you."

Michael rolled his eyes, grabbing David by the wrist and dragging him towards the ferris wheel. "C'mon, scaredy-bat."

Before David could protest again, he was loaded into a metal cabin and the ride was moving. Michael leaned into him, resting his head on his shoulder as he took in the view of the ocean, moonlight glittering against choppy waves. David's hand slipped into his, squeezing lightly and Michael couldn't stop the goofy smile that spread across his face.

"So. Soulmates, huh?" Michael asked softly. "What's the deal with that?"

"Same deal it always is. S'just most don't meet." David shrugged. "And if I weren't immortal, we wouldn't have either. Truth be told, I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it before."

"What do you mean by that? I thought the point of soulmates was that you only get one?"

"Not me, stupid. Marko." David explained, rolling his eyes. "Why did you think we turned Paul?"

"I don't know. I really didn't spend much time thinking about the reasons behind your group-"

"Coven." David corrected sharply, tensing under him. "My coven."

"Right. The point is, I was a little....preoccupied." Michael said. The conversation was derailing fast, so rather than risk the whole night by opening his mouth, Michael squeezed David's hand affectionately. The ferris wheel began its decline and Michael watched the veiw of the horizon fade.

"Let's go." David suggested, his voice heavy with an emotion that Michael couldn't recognize. Michael didn't argue. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans. The night had turned cool, a chilly breeze wafting through the air, and without his jacket, Michael was beginning to shiver. Just as he was regretting not bringing his jacket, one appeared around his shoulders as if by magic. He glanced over at David, now jacketless, and gave him a half smile as he pulled the coat around himself.

"Thanks."

"You needed it more than I did." David said nonchalantly, flipping the kickstand on his bike.

"David?"

"Yeah?"

The minute David looked up at him, Michael pulled him into a kiss, smiling against his lips as he tensed in surprise. It didn't take long for the vampire to melt against him, the hand that wasn't supporting his bike coming up to cup his face. Just as things were getting hot, the sound of glass shattering caused them to break apart with a start. Michael looked down at the broken beer bottle that had nearly hit him with shock.

"GO TO HELL, FAGGOTS!" Came the infuriated shout, it's owner getting into the driver's seat of a red ford pick up.

Almost reflexively, Michael raised both his middle fingers, and beside him David growled the kind of growl that only an animal can. With supernatural speed, David swung a leg over his bike, pulling Michael along with him.

"Mind if I grab a bite to eat?" David asked with barely disguised rage, starting up the Triumph, but leaving its lights off.

"Be my fucking guest." 

Without hesitation, David tore out of the parking lot, tailing the red truck as closely as he could. They were found out pretty quickly, and Mr. Wifebeater made a few sharp turns, desperately trying to shake them. Ever the skilled hunter, David kept up with him easily, flashing his lights at him once they reached an isolated stretch of road. To Michael's surprise, the driver pulled over.

"Are you following me?!" The man demanded, hopping out of his beat up truck.

"Yeah. I think you owe my boyfriend an apology, seeing as you almost hit him with that bottle." David said cooly, crossing his arms over his chest. Michael stepped forward, assuming the same position and fixing the man with a deadly glare.

"I ain't apologizing to no goddamned pansies, so you can just get back on your sissy motorcycle and get back to sucking each other's dicks!" He said, spitting on the ground.

David turned to Michael and shrugged. "Well, I tried."

In the blink of an eye, he was on him, fangs puncturing and claws tearing as the doomed man screamed and flailed. Michael leaned back against the motorcycle, watching with a combination of horror and fascination. He had always assumed that the part of him that found this arousing had been a by-product of vampirism, but as the blood began to rise in his face and further south, he realized with more than a little shame that that was all him. The man's screams died out, and David released him, his drained and lifeless corpse hitting the ground with a dull thud. Wiping the blood from his chin, David joined Michael on the Triumph.

"Sorry about that, I know- mmf!!"

Michael cut him off with a desperate kiss, pulling the vampire flush against him. He could taste the man's blood as they kissed, a fact that he should by all means find abhorrent and disgusting, but in reality he couldn't bring himself to care. David's hands moved to his waist, grinding against him forcefully and nipping his lip when he let out a shaky moan. As suddenly as it had begun, it was over, David pulling away and properly straddling the bike.

"I thought you didn't approve of murder?" David said over his shoulder.

"That wasn't murder, it was waste disposal." Michael retorted, wrapping his arms around David's waist. "They oughta pay you for that." 

David laughed heartily, pulling back out onto the road. All in all, it hadn't been too terrible of a night. Sure it had its rocky points, but that was just David. Besides, if that kiss was any indication, his night was only just beginning. Michael smiled into the soft cashmere of David's sweater, burying his face against the cold wind. 


	8. Chapter 8

They kissed their way up the stairs, pausing every few steps to press each other against the wall. David's hands were somehow everywhere at once, dragging across his chest, tugging at his hair, raking nails down his back, cupping his ass, fumbling with his clothes. Michael could barely keep up with him. David slammed him roughly against his bedroom door, attacking his neck with sloppy kisses and Michael fought to reach the door handle. He stumbled backward as the door swung open, tripping over his heels as he was pushed towards the bed. David pushed him to a seated position, straddling his hips and pulling him into another heated kiss. Michael helped him shrug off his layers, smirking as he caught hold of the cashmere sweater. As soon as he'd removed the garment, he froze. The two parallel scars that Michael knew continued through to his back caused a new sprung feeling of guilt to well up in him. They were large, and garish, and completely his fault. David raised an eyebrow, and Michael quickly found an excuse.

"God, this thing is terrible." He said, rolling his eyes as he tossed the sweater to the floor. 

"I dunno. It's pretty comfortable." David teased between kisses to Michael's neck. "Maybe your Mom is onto something."

"Ugh, don't talk about my Mom while you're doing that, man." Michael groaned.

He felt David chuckle against his skin, before the lightest scrape of fangs. Michael gasped in surprise, flinching instinctively.

"Whoah, Hey! What was that?!" He asked, startled.

"You seemed to like that just fine last time." David smirked at him. Michael felt his face flush.

"It wasn't- I didn't-That was different!!" Michael stuttered. Above him, David just laughed.

"Sure it was, Michael. But if you're really against it-"

"No!" Michael objected, a little more desperate than he'd meant to sound. He cleared his throat before continuing. "I-uh... I mean, it's fine if you want to-"

That was apparently all that David was willing to wait to hear. He sank his teeth into Michael's neck, blood welling up from the wound. Michael let out a rather undignified groan, pulling David as close to him as he possibly could. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't deny that there was something intensely erotic about this. It was a form of intimacy that was entirely unique to them. Knowing that his life was entirely in David's hands, trusting that he would only take enough to sate both of their appetites, reduced to their base roles as predator and prey. It drove him absolutely nuts. David pulled off of him, panting. Michael didn't give him even a moment to catch his breath before pulling him into a frenzied kiss, flipping them around so that he had David pinned by the wrists beneath him. Their eyes locked, and for a breathless moment Michael takes in the sight before him. David, usually so collected and cunning, lying under him so flushed and surprised with Michael's blood still smeared across his chin. Looking up at him, David grinned as cocky a grin as he could manage through the haze of lust.

"H..how far are you willing to go, Michael?"

"How far are you willing to let me?" Michael countered, voice husky with desire.

"You'll want to grab my jacket." David said, gesturing with his chin.

Michael released his hold on David's wrists, reaching for the discarded coat. He tossed it at David, letting him get whatever he needed from its pockets while he divested himself of his shirt. Before he tossed it aside, he paused to lament the bright red stain of blood around its collar. He'd never be wearing this one again. He turned around, suddenly nervous. Michael had never done anything with another guy before, and knowing his luck he'd screw it up somehow. Granted, before this summer he hadn't done anything with a girl before either, and that hadn't gone too terribly.

"So... how do uh...how do you want to do this?" He asked.

"Well-" David hooked a finger in the waist of Michael's pants, pulling him forward. "Considering these were designed to rend human flesh-" he drug his nails down Michael's chest, laying him down on the bed and straddling his hips. "-and you're so obviously inexperienced, _this_ " David hissed, rolling his hips against Michael's. "Might be a bit more beginner friendly."

"H-hey who are you calling a beginner?"

"Oh? You wanna prove me wrong?" David smirked, pushing a small tube of lubricant into Michael's hand. So that was what he needed from his coat.

Michael was never one to back down from a challenge, no matter how nervous he was. He unbuttoned David's pants, pulling them off along with his underwear. So, he'd never fingered a guy before. How much different could it be? He kissed a trail down David's chest, hesitating for a second when he reached where the vampire's cock stood starkly against his belly before deliberately moving to kiss across his hips and inner thighs. As he sucked a hickey into the sensitive skin, he uncapped the lube with his free hand, pulling off to squirt a generous amount of lubricant onto his hand. A little more cautious than he probably should have been, he gently pressed a finger into him. David tensed around him, letting out an almost surprised gasp as Michael worked him open.

" _More...._ " David groaned, voice pitched low with need. He rolled his hips into Michael's hand for emphasis, urging him to go deeper, faster, to really spread him open and finger him in earnest. Faced with a sight like that and with the issued challenge still lingering in his mind, Michael couldn't do anything but oblige. He slipped a second finger in, picking up speed. His apprehension melting away with David's hushed noises, Michael curled his fingers experimentally and below him, the vampire whimpered. Oh, _that_ was a sound that Michael could get used to.

"Alright, tha- that's enough of that." David said abruptly, pushing Michael off of him and back into the pillows. He made quick work of Michael's pants, discarding them somewhere on the floor and leaving the younger dazed and confused as David straddled his hips. Before Michael could even process what had just happened, David was sinking onto his cock, both of them groaning at the sensation.

Had you told him even 3 months ago that by Halloween he'd be railing the hottest vampire in Santa Carla, not only would Michael not have believed you, he probably would have countered with "What the fuck does that even mean?". Yet here he was, hips thrusting up to meet David's as the blonde rode him like his life depended on it. His hands gripped into David's hips tight enough that were he human, there would have been lasting bruises. This was good- so very very good- but he needed _more_. Without any warning, Michael flipped them so that David was once again lying prone beneath him, knees tucked nearly to his shoulders as Michael fucked him at full force. David found himself unable to hold back his moans any longer, filling the room with the most undignified sounds he'd ever made. Sure, he'd taken a few gentlemen in his time, but never like this. He never lost his control like this. But with the way Michael was hitting him in all the right ways, he was beginning to consider making this a habit.

They lost themselves to the moment, bodies twined in a blissful mess, Michael peppering soft kisses across David’s features as their passions came to a head. Michael collapsed onto the bed beside David, panting from exertion but satisfied nonetheless. He cupped the Vampire's face in his hands, kissing him deeply. David was the first to pull away, chuckling breathlessly.

"Oh Michael, what have you done to me?"

"I think it's called 'fucking you silly'" Michael said with a smirk, propping himself up on one elbow.

"Oh is that what it's called?" David countered. "I thought it was called 'a good first try'"

"Yeah right." Michael scoffed. "I had you practically screaming my name by the end of that."

"...Minor details."

Michael's eyes traveled over David's body, taking in the sight. He'd never seen this much of him before, and wanted to commit as much of it to memory as he possibly could. His gaze lingered on the shiny red scars that punctuated David's chest. That couldn't have been comfortable. Michael wished more than anything that he could have taken it back.

"It's rude to stare." David interrupted, his tone suddenly icy.

"I'm sorry." Michael said, voice cracking.

David sat bolt upright, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and searching for his sweater. Anything to cover up. Behind him, Michael's arms encircled his waist. A soft kiss was pressed against the scar tissue on his back, and David froze in place.

"I'm so sorry David." Michael whispered against his skin. "I can't take back what I've done."

"No." David sighed. "You can't. But neither can I. You were only trying to protect your family, same as me. But it's over now, isn't it? Time to move on."

Michael nodded silently against David's back, arms pulling the vampire flush against him once more. David twisted around to place a kiss to Michael's cheek, looking up at him with an almost sad sort of expression. Before Michael could ask about it, David spoke. 

"It's 1 am. You should get some sleep, or you're gonna be cranky in the morning."

"Since when do you care about my sleep schedule?"

"Since your mom started complaining to me about it."

"Yeah? And what do you plan on doing while I'm asleep?"

"I dunno. Have a smoke? Watch a movie?"

"Count me in. We'll move to the couch. After all, I have to keep you out of trouble."

David laughed, but offered no signs of protest. After throwing on some measure of clothing and throwing in some new slasher film Lucy had brought home for them from work, they curled up on the couch, Michael nestled in David's arms while the vampire's fingers combed through his curls.

The next thing Michael knew, he was being shaken awake by a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Michael! Wake up."

"I'm up I'm up." He groaned, opening one eye to see his grandfather standing over him. "Grandpa? What time is it?"

"It's almost 6 in the morning. You better get your girlfriend upstairs before he lights the damn house on fire."

Michael glanced over his shoulder to find that sure enough, David had fallen asleep behind him. With a frustrated sigh, he grabbed the quilt from the back of the couch and wrapped David in it, lifting him into his arms and carrying him to bed like a child. He laid the vampire down on the bed, kissing him on the forehead. Michael liked seeing him like this. Peaceful, innocent, quiet. His perfectly gelled hair laying in frizzy, messy curls. Asleep, David looked like any other teenaged boy.

It was a Sunday morning, so Michael should have been able to sleep in, but now that he was awake he found himself unable to get back to sleep. He stumbled back down the stairs and into the kitchen with the intent of making a pot of coffee. 

"Michael! You got a minute?" His grandfather's voice said from behind him.

"Sure Grandpa." Michael sighed.

"I been meaning to talk to you about something." He continued as he lead Michael out of the kitchen and into his workshop.

Michael had always hated the workshop, with its walls of dead animals with vacant glass stares. But now being here brought up a whole new host of bad memories. His eyes settled uneasily on a pair of antlers set in the middle of the workbench.

"Michael, do you know what your family does for a livin?"

"What, this?" Michael asked, gesturing to the pile of discarded antlers.

"Heh. Not quite, son."

Grandpa moved to one end of the room. He flipped a switch on a display wall that Michael hadn't even noticed, and the entire wall flipped around. From ceiling to floor was what could only be described as an arsenal of Vampire hunting equipment. Stakes of every size shape and material, crossbows, vials of holy water, crucifixes. Michael felt his jaw drop and his heart sink into his stomach.

"The Emersons are Vampire Slayers, Michael. Have been for generations."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY THIS TOOK ME SO LONG. Porn is a huge mental hurdle for me, so it always takes forever to get out. But IT'S HERE NOW. T^T


	9. Chapter 9

Michael could hardly believe what was being told to him. His family- all of them up until his mother- were vampire slayers, sworn to annihilate the creatures of the night that preyed on the human population of Santa Carla. He didn't know what to do with that information. Sure, it explained a lot about why Grandpa knew so much about vampires, and why Sam was such a natural born killer, but it did nothing to ease the growing sense of dread in Michael's heart. How was he supposed to react to this when his soulmate, a KNOWN vampire slept just upstairs, blissfully unaware of the dangers that surrounded him.

"Michael, are you listenin' to me boy?" Grandpa snapped, bringing him back down to earth.

"No, I'm sorry. You lost me at 'Vampire Slayers'. Say it again?"

"Ifn you'd listened the first time, you would've heard me say that I don't expect you to carry on the family business."

"Then why are we here, huh? Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because I think you have a right to know, considerin your situation. Besides-" Grandpa flipped the switch again, concealing his artillery behind the wall once more. "Just because you ain't gonna be carryin on the family business doesn't mean your brother won't."

"Sammy?" Michael asked incredulously. His grandfather shrugged. 

"You saw the way him and those amateurs he hangs around with took out that nest. Only one survivor come outta that, and that one was all on you, boy."

Michael fell quiet. God, he really was the only one who couldn't do it. Who even felt the slightest bit of remorse for what they'd done. Who hadn't scrubbed glittering blood from the walls while singing along to George Michael and dancing 'round the kitchen.

"I know how you feel about him- that bloodsucker upstairs. I can't say I understand why, but I reckon you love that fella." His grandfather said, placing a large and calloused hand firmly on his shoulder. He paused to give Michael the opportunity to affirm or deny the accusation, but Michael remained silent. Grandpa sighed deeply. "Just promise me one thing; promise me that I'll never have to stake my own grandson. Can you do that for me, son?"

"....Sure, Grandpa." Michael said with an absentminded nod. "I promise."

"Alright then." He clapped Michael on the shoulder, seemingly eager to end the conversation. "Good talk."

Michael just stood there as if rooted to the floorboards while his grandfather left him alone to cope with the devastation of the bomb he just dropped. It was like the walls were closing in around him, the cold glass eyes of the half-finished taxidermy mounts passing silent judgment over his sins. His heart pounded in his chest, far too quickly than it should, making his ribcage feel entirely too small to contain its frenzied pulse. Finally, he regained his ability to move, tearing himself from the workshop and flying up the staircase to his room, running directly into the person that had been coming down them. They toppled to the bottom of the stairs, the other person landing on top of Michael with a very undignified grunt.

"....Alan?!" Michael whisper yelled upon realizing exactly who it was he nearly crushed. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Nothing!!" Alan exclaimed, pushing himself off of Michael forcefully. "Where were you headed in such a hurry anyway?"

"What's it to you?" Michael scoffed defensively, standing up and looking the amateur vampire slayer up and down with a scrutinizing glare. That glance was all the needed to puzzle out the situation. After all, there's pretty much only one reason an adolescent boy would be running out the door at 6 am with his hair mussed, yesterday's clothes on his back, and deep purple bruises along his neck. Michael cracked a grin. "Big night, eh tiger?"

Alan flushed brilliantly at Michael's accusation, only further proving his suspicions. ".....Let's just agree that this never happened." He said commandingly.

"One condition." Michael said, standing up straight and folding his arms so that his biceps stood out. The Frogs were more than a little too big for their britches and Michael would be more than happy to put them back in their place. "I don't want to see you sneaking around here again, got it?"

"Works for me." Alan shrugged before turning to continue his walk of shame.

Michael's unease was only worsened by the confirmation that his brother was dating another damn vampire hunter. He mounted the stairs once more, taking them in twos to reach his bedroom faster. Once he was in his room, he threw himself onto the bed, burying his face in the pillows. Michael heard a shuffling beside him, and an arm snaked around his shoulders, the body it was attached to pressing against his side. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"What's wrong?" David asked groggily from his side. 

"Nothing's wrong." Michael said into the pillow. 

"Liar." David sat up, propping himself up on an elbow. "Your heart's beating like a fucking bunny rabbit and I can smell the fear radiating off of you."

"You can smell that?" Michael asked, lifting his head with nose wrinkled in disbelief. 

"Yeah. Perks of being a predator. Now what's got you spooked?"

"You can't stay here anymore." Michael blurted out. "They're vampire hunters. All of them. Grandpa and Sam and- well I'm pretty sure mom's not but I don't know. You have to go. It's not safe for you. Sam's even dating one of those Frog kids."

".....you're _those_ Emersons?" David responded with just a touch of surprise in his tone. 

"Apparently. But anyway it goes, it's not safe for you to stay here anymore."

"Now hold on." David sighed. "It's just your grandpa and those kids. And last I checked you and your brother had an agreement."

"Well yeah but-"

"You don't plan on killing me, are you?"

"Well no but-"

"But what? I can take your Grandad, if he comes after me. Which he probably won't. Besides-" David laid back down, putting his head on Michael's chest. "I've got you to protect me."

"Well yeah, I guess-"

"Then can I go back to sleep?"

"....yeah.. yeah go back to sleep." Michael sighed, kissing his forhead.

Michael got no more rest that morning. Instead he sat and watched David sleep, filled with silent worry for his soulmate's life.


	10. Chapter 10

Sam wasn't speaking to him. Michael knew that from the way that he'd pounded on the door to wake him 4 hours later, rattling it in its frame. He got up from the bed, although he hadn't really been asleep, and made his way to the bathroom. Another day of walking on eggshells would only be made worse by this morning's revelations. Michael looked like absolute hell. His hair stuck out at odd angles, he was desperately in need of a shave, the bags under his eyes were large enough to need a luggage tag, and to complete the look, a fresh set of purpling bite marks had sprung up on his neck, still oozing slightly. He sighed, running a comb through his hair. His 5 o'clock shadow would just have to wait another day.

Michael plodded quietly into the kitchen, where his brother poured a bowl of Captain Crunch in silence. He opened the fridge, and promptly decided that he wasn't hungry. Still, he had Sam cornered. He wanted to make the most of this opportunity to talk things over with his brother. 

"So. How were those Halloween plans?" Michael asked teasingly, sitting on the counter next to Sam's bowl of cereal. Sam rolled his eyes, grabbed his bowl, and moved to the table, setting it down with a melodramatic clunk.

"You can't ignore me like this forever, Sammy." Michael sighed, exhausted. "Sooner or later we're going to have to talk about this."

"There’s nothing to talk about, Michael." Sam said darkly, not looking up from his cereal. 

"Oh Bull-fucking-shit, Sam!" Michael shouted. His brother jumped, spoon clattering agianst the bowl, and Michael quickly composed himself. The last time he'd seen Sam look like that was when they were still living with their Dad, and that was not a road he wanted to go down. "Look, I know you don't like the idea of me and David being together. I can't say I really blame you. And yeah, you're right, I am acting a little different. We're all acting a little different. We've all been through a lot in the last couple of months, and I don't see why you're targeting me here. Yeah, I didn't used to want my ear pierced, or hang around with depressed vampires. I don't have much of a choice now. You didn't used to keep secrets from me and mom, and now you've got a boyfriend that no one knows about. And that's fine. Things are changing Sammy. No one can stay the same after the things we've been through together. I'm too tired to keep questioning the why of it anymore. This is just how it is now." 

"What do you want me to say, huh Mike?" Sam snapped, standing from the table. "That it's all okay? That I'm not angry anymore? That I'm sorry for not being as apathetic and defeatist as you? Well it's _not_ okay Michael! It hasn't been okay since we got here. At least Dad was a demon I was used to handling, but out here I'm dealing with things I've never even imagined and I've got no way to handle this. And yeah, I'm angry about it, okay? I'm angry that you're so busy trying to fix those bloodsucking idiots that you don't even talk to me anymore. I'm angry that I suddenly have to deal with everything alone because you're spending all night playing tonsil hockey with David and you're so dead-tired in the morning that you're useless! But more than anything I'm angry about how you don't even seem to care anymore!" Sam's fist slammed down on the table, knocking the bowl of cereal to the ground with a clatter. "You're just content to let this guy walk all over you. You don’t care that I'm floundering out here, that Mom's spending all her time working to support all of us, hell you don't even care about _yourself_ , Michael. Look at you! You look like you've been hit by a bus with fangs and you're trying to chastise _me_? You do have a choice Michael. You could go up there and stake that bastard right now, you just _won't_."

"I can't Sam. I can't do that."

"WHY THE HELL NOT?!" Sam was yelling now, angry tears welling up in his eyes. Michael shrank back against the cabinets."I DID IT FOR YOU, MICHAEL! WHY WON'T YOU DO IT FOR ME?!"

"Because.....because I love him, okay?" Michael confessed. It was the first time he'd ever vocalized that, and he was almost surprised by how...right it felt. Fuck, he really _did_ love David, didn't he?

Sam sighed, running a hand through his hair. Head hung towards the floor, he let out a half-hearted chuckle.

"Of _course_. Of _fucking course_ you do." Sam said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He stood, making for the kitchen door. Michael jumped down from the countertop, almost sprinting after him.

"Sam- Sammy wait. Where are you going?" Michael said, more begging than asking. He grabbed at the pleather of Sam's jacket sleeve

"Out." Sam said coldly, jerking his arm free. "I'm going out."

The screen door slammed and Michael watched his brother walk off, helpless to amend the situation. He felt like he'd just been punched in the gut. Michael turned to clean up the cereal, unable to do anything else. The sound of footsteps caught his attention and his head jerked up to find his mother standing in the doorway. 

"Michael? What are you doing honey? What was all that yelling about? Is everything okay?" She asked, concern welling up in her voice.

"It’s fine, Mom. Everything is fine." Michael said quickly. He stood up to put the bowl in the sink, turning away from his mother's worried gaze.

"Michael." She said in that tone he knew meant that she wasn't buying what he was selling.

"It’s fine, Ma." He persisted, still turned.

"Michael, look at me."

Michael turned, facing her with more than a little reluctance. She looked up at him, arms crossed over her chest.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing. It's fine mom." His voice cracked. Fuck. "Everything is fine." Lack of sleep was catching up with him. Tears rolled down his face before he could stop them. "It's fine.."

"Oh, Michael." Lucy crooned, pulling Michael into a tight hug. "You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to, sweetheart. Just please, understand that you can come to me with anything."

Michael nodded against her shoulder. They hadn't done this since he was just a little kid. He hadn't felt the need to. But he was tired and scared and vulnerable and he wasn't going to deny a hug from his mom.

"Hey mom?"

"Yes dear?"

"I...I'm sorry for the way things have been since we moved here. You and Sam don't deserve that." Michael sighed, stepping back. 

"Michael honey, none of that was your fault!" Lucy insisted, placing a hand on her son's shoulder. "No one could've predicted that."

"I know Ma. But I'm sorry anyway. And-" he pauses, considering his next words. "And tell Sammy I'm sorry too."

Lucy's brow furrowed, something about Michael's word choice sounding an alarm in her brain. Her grip tightened on his shoulder, a silent instruction for him not to do anything stupid.

"You can tell him that yourself, if you still want to."

"Yeah." Michael chuckled weakly. "Yeah I suppose you're right." He spared the clock on the wall a passing glance. "You're gonna be late to work."

Lucy's head whipped around to the clock. "Oh, darn it!" She exclaimed. "I've got to go, but we can talk about this tonight when I get home, alright?"

"Okay mom."

She kissed him on the cheek and headed for the door. Michael waited until he heard the door slam and the car drive off before he grabbed his jacket and headed for his bike. He'd sold off the boys' bikes for around $1,000 in cash just a few days before, and had held on to what savings hadn't been spent on his leather jacket in August. That would be enough to get them somewhere. Maybe not anywhere nice, but somewhere.

He picked up what non-perishable food he knew would fit in the saddlebags of David's bike and stashed it there while he slept. Michael grabbed his trunk and packed up what he could of his and David's things, thankful that David didn't have much besides the clothes on his back. When he'd finished, he tied the thing to his bike and drove it into the shed to wait until sundown. He'd hoped that maybe he'd run into Sam again. That maybe Sam would see what he was preparing to do and try to talk him down. He had no such luck. The minute the sun had sank behind the horizon, Michael shook David awake.

"David. C'mon, wake up, we've gotta go."

"Go?" The vampire groaned, cracking one eye open. "Go where? It's barely sundown."

Michael gripped his shoulders firmly, shaking him more urgently. "No, we have to go _now_."

David opened both eyes and looked at him, taking in the panic that had set into Michael's features. He blinked a few times and then swung his legs over the edge of the bed, beginning the search for his boots. Michael thrust them into his hands before he could say anything, and David took them, although cautiously. 

"Do you know where we're going, Michael?" He asked, pulling on his boots.

"Away from Santa Carla." Michael said definitively, as though that were an answer.

"....I've always wanted to head back north."


	11. Chapter 11

Judging by the scowl on David's face when they stopped in San Francisco, this had not been what he'd meant by "north". Michael didn't care. They were far away from Santa Carla and the danger he'd left behind there. His family would be better off without him anyway. Sam didn't have to worry about vampires all the time, Mom didn't have to worry about supporting him, and Grandpa had another spare room to fill with his projects, and Michael? Michael wasn't anyone's burden anymore. He sighs, running both of his hands through his hair. They've just pulled off at a motel. Sunrise wasn't far away, and they needed to find a place to stay. Michael checked them in under fake names and they were shown to their room. He wasted no time in using their trunk to block out the only window in the room. David sat on the bed, watching him intently. When he turns around, he's faced with David's glare.

"Now that you've forced me into some cruddy motel room on the outskirts of San Francisco, would you care to tell me what the hell is going on?" David spat, eyes narrowing.

Michael looked back at him, the stress of the last 24 hours and the lack of sleep all catching up to him at once. He wants nothing more than to curl up against David and fall asleep, but that's far from an option at this point. Instead, he sits down on the bed with a sigh, burying his head in his hands. He sits like that for a long moment before finally beginning to speak. He talks until he runs out of words, letting out every fear, every insecurity, every tiny thing that's influenced his decision to move them out of the city. David just listens to him, taking in every frantic word of Michael's explanation. When it's all said and done, they both sit there in silence for a minute, the only sound in the room being Michael's shuddering breaths. Eventually, David leans in wordlessly and pulls him onto his lap, burying his nose against his shoulder. Michael melts against him, wrapping his arms around his shoulders and pulling him as close as he physically can. They were safe, and that's what mattered. Behind the trunk, the sun rises, and David yawns against him, untangling himself just enough to lay them both down. It only takes a few minutes for them to fall asleep that way, jeans on, over the blankets, and pressed close to each other.

When Michael finally wakes up, it's almost sundown. He leaves David asleep and sneaks out of their room, hopping on his Honda and taking a ride to clear his head. He's almost surprised when he ends up by the bay, looking out across the choppy water. Michael's alone with his thoughts for the first time in the last two days. He sighs, sitting down on the concrete wall. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore is soothing, and he finds himself calming down. Michael watches the sun set over the bay, staying seated long after its disappeared beyond the horizon line. The sound of gravel crunching behind him registers, but he doesn't move to look at the source of the sound. David plops down on the wall beside him.

"I thought I might find you out here." He says, looking out over the bay.

"You ever been to San Francisco?" Michael asks "I haven't. I hadn't really been outside of Arizona except maybe twice, before we moved."

"Yeah, once. It's a lot different now, though." David replies. "How are you liking it?"

"It's nice." Michael says plainly. Although, anything would be nice compared to where he's been. He puts his head on David's shoulder, kicking his feet against the wall.

"You're just happy to be out, aren't you?"

"You caught me."

"I hate to sound like every person in history, but you know that running away from your problems isn't going to solve them, right?"

"I know that." Michael replies, fishing a cigarette and a lighter out of David's jacket pocket. "I'm not looking to solve my problems, David, I'm just looking out for you."

"Don't drag me into your melodrama Michael." David groans. He looks on as Michael lights the cigarette, taking a long drag off of it. "You smoke?"

"I do now."

David doesn't ask anything else about it. He doesn't have room to judge him, after all, he'd smoked his first cigarette at age eleven. He just put his arm around Michael's shoulders, pulling him close.

"What about Sam and your mom?" David sighs.

"They're better off without me." Michael says bitterly. "Why are you playing the voice of reason, huh? I don't exactly think you're qualified for that position."

"Maybe not. I just don't want you making any decisions you'll come to regret. I have more than enough experience in that department, and let me tell you, you'll carry that shit with you for the rest of your damn life."

Michael nods, going quiet again. There are stories there, he's sure, but he's too busy wallowing in self pity to bother asking. Michael has been more selfish in the last few days than he's been his entire life, and it's honestly a little freeing to be focused on himself for once. He finishes his stolen cigarette and snubs it out on the concrete wall beside him, flicking the butt onto the asphalt of the parking lot behind them. Michael takes David's hand into his own, twining their fingers together. It's hard for him to believe that just a few nights ago, they were on their first date.

"David?"

"Hm?"

"I...I want you to turn me."

David stiffened against him, turning to look down at him with an expression somewhere between confused and concerned.

"I beg your pardon?"

"David, I want you to turn me." Michael said definitively, meeting David's gaze with a sober stare. "I mean it. I'm ready now."

David opened his mouth to protest, but found it dying on his lips. He could see no hesitation behind his eyes. No lingering love for his ties to humanity. Michael really was ready for this- more so than even any of his boys had been when they took that jump. There was no way he could deny him this. Not when he wanted it so bad himself. David's fangs bit into his tongue, blood welling up in his mouth. Knowing that he'd heal fast, he wasted no time in pulling Michael into a searing open mouthed kiss.

Michael returned the kiss with equal enthusiasm, gripping David's jacket in both hands and sliding his tongue against his, blood running between them. It's sweet,spicy, with none of the tang of blood and all of the burn of alcohol and Michael understands why it's so easily passed off as wine to poor suckers like him. But this time is different. He knows what's happening to him, what he's getting in the end, what he's giving up, he _knows_. And he's ready. Michael lets himself get drunk off the sensation, pulling away with a satisfied gasp. The feeling is exactly the way he remembered it. Like being drunk, but somehow....warmer...

A lopsided smile spread across Michael's face, and he leaned in to press another, gentler kiss to David's lips, breaking apart only when both of them were smiling too hard to keep kissing.

"Damn" Michael said breathlessly, smile still wide. "Why didn't you do it like that the first time?"

"You want the truth?" David asked, cocking an eyebrow. "I was too worried about what you thought of me. Had to maintain my icy exterior, ya know?"

"You're an idiot." Michael sighed, kissing him again. It's soft. Innocent. Contented.

"It takes one to know one, dumbass." David replies when Michael pulls away, but he's smiling too.

David drives them back to the hotel on Michael's honda, the other being too intoxicated on vampire blood to do so himself. Michael buries his nose against the soft fabric of David's felted overcoat, woozy, but happy. Happier than he's been since well before they'd left Phoenix. Maybe now he could stop running and finally just...live.


End file.
